Things Left Behind
by jbn42
Summary: Over three years later, they realize that something was left behind in the Badlands, and going back for it will be more trouble than they ever expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Fill for a LiveJournal Week 30 Friday one word prompt "Force" for Wash and Taylor. Not entirely sure where this one is going. Will be fun to figure out…

This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.

**Disclaimer is the same as always – don't own them, just borrowing, no profit here.  
**  
"We probably should talk about what we're going to do for a security lead for the three weeks that Guz wants to take off when the baby gets here." Alicia looks at Nathaniel. They've been going over some personnel issues, and this is one she's been wondering about.

Last week, Guz asked her if he could take some time to be with Mira and the baby after the baby's birth, and she'd agreed without hesitation. It was something she and Nathaniel had already discussed, and she'd actually been about to offer it to him. Mira does more consulting for them than anything else, so her work doesn't really need replacing, but Guz manages all the personnel rotations and security team assignments for day-to-day purposes.

Nathaniel looks thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe it's an opportunity for us to give one of the kids a little leadership time? Maybe give them a more realistic picture of what we do every day?"

She nods. "I was thinking along the same lines."

"Who do you have in mind?" He gets up and comes over to the conference table, where she has several plexes piled up around her.

"Reilly or Reynolds?" She lifts a questioning eyebrow at him.

"I was thinking Reilly as well. I think Reynolds already gets a lot of that type of experience through direct assignments from both of us. Reilly needs more exposure, because I can see her climbing fast."

She smirks at him. "Should I feel threatened?"

He laughs and rolls his eyes, but before he can retort, Malcolm bursts into the office. "Taylor!" He stops, dropping his hands to his knees, clearly winded.

Alicia and Nathaniel look at each other. She shrugs, having no idea what this might be about. Nathaniel looks back at the scientist. "Malcolm? What's going on?"

After another moment, Malcolm says, still slightly out of breath, "Sorry about that. I just got word back from the team that has been setting up the new monitoring equipment at the northern outposts."

He takes another moment to breathe, worrying Alicia. He has continued to struggle now and then ever since he had the most severe infection during an outbreak of a respiratory illness last year. She shoots Nathaniel a concerned look before turning back to Malcolm. "Take your time, Malcolm. Do you have your inhaler?" She refers to the albuterol inhaler Elisabeth gave him.

He grimaces and shakes his head. "Left it at the lab, but I'm all right." He takes another deep breath, and Alicia notes that his breathing does seem to be settling down. "The team finished their set up of the new sensors, the ones we finally finished prepping to pick up possible temporal shifts like the portal, and they immediately picked something up."

Alicia and Nathaniel exchange a glance. Nathaniel furrows his brow. "Which outpost?"

"The northernmost one." Malcolm nods, "And yes, before you can say it, that's the one closest to the Badlands."

"What did it pick up?" This time, it's Alicia who speaks.

He looks at her. "Honestly, Wash, we're not certain. It could be a time shift, but it could also be an electromagnetic force field of some sort. Whatever it is, it's certainly not native to this time stream."

Nathaniel cocks his head. "What's the so what to this, Malcolm?"

He shrugs a little helplessly. "Until I can put eyes on the source, Commander, I don't know. It could be residual effects from your son's work, which could very easily be completely benign. It could also be an EM field generator, which, if overloaded, could be problematic. Not catastrophic, but you remember how long it took us to recover after the meteor's EM pulse. I only bring up that possibility because I once heard Lucas talk about setting up a field to protect his work. I always thought he was joking, but I later realized that your son wasn't much for jokes."

Nathaniel is silent at that, worrying Alicia. She decides to leave it alone while Malcolm is still here. She looks back at Malcolm. "You said it's coming from the Badlands. That's a big area, Malcolm. Can you get a search area, or is there a way we can track the signal?"

He nods. "I have some more of the sensors we developed. I want to adapt them to a hand held scanner. That should help us track down the source of the energy force."

Nathaniel stays silent, so Alicia just keeps on. "OK, get on it, Malcolm. Report back as soon as you have one ready. I assume you want a team to go into the Badlands."

"I think we need to, Wash."

"Agreed." She nods. "You get me your list of names to go, and I'll get the security side set up."

"Will do." He looks briefly at Nathaniel, who is now staring out the window. Malcolm's eyes sweep back to Alicia's, and she gives a subtle head shake. "I'll contact you shortly."

With that, he leaves, and Alicia walks over to Nathaniel. She puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. "Nathaniel? Are you all right?"

He starts a little, turning to look at her. "I'm fine, Alicia. I hoped we were clear of this. He's buried, and I guess I hoped that any damage he was capable of would already be done." He runs his hand through his hair. "I hoped he was completely laid to rest."

She hugs him to her. "I know." He wraps his arms around her, hugging her close, dropping his forehead to her shoulder. She doesn't know what else to say, so she just holds him.

After a minute or so, he pulls back. "You want to lead the security team, don't you?"

She sighs. "You know I do, Nathaniel. It shouldn't be you. You know that. It's too much and it's too close. But it should be one of us."

"You're right, and I'm not going to fight you for this one. I'll stay behind with Gracie." She must look surprised at that, because he says, "Normally, you know I'd do this. But, even though he's been gone for over three years now, I _still _sometimes feel haunted by him. I'm taking that as my signal to sit this one out."

"OK. I'll start putting my team together. I want to take Carter, Nathaniel. He spent a lot of time in the Badlands. I'd actually prefer to take Mira, but given that she's due in four weeks, I somehow think Guz would disapprove."

He snorts out a laugh at that. "Take Shannon, too. You three, Carter, you and Shannon, that is, seem to work well together."

She grins. "Malcolm will be so pleased."

He returns the smile, looking a little devious. "He's going to be even more irritated when I tell him that you're leading the group, not him. He may have the scanner, but the final call on following it and the like will be yours."

"Great. Just make sure he knows that if I encounter some sort of 'accident' that Shannon will be in charge. I'll be golden." She rolls her eyes. "And Carter is third. Poor Malcolm." She's glad that he's laughing as he heads back to his desk, but despite his outward appearance, she can see the ghosts behind his eyes.

**WT**WT**WT**

"Mama, why you have to go?" The next evening, Gracie sits on Alicia and Nathaniel's bed as she loads her pack to head for the northern outpost. Malcolm finished the scanner this morning, and, much to his chagrin, he was informed as to the makeup and leadership structure of the team.

True to Alicia's plan, the only way Malcolm gets to be in charge is if something happens to her, Shannon _and _Carter. From his grumbling, Alicia could tell that he was less than pleased by the turn of events, but she doesn't really care.

As for the rest of the team, from a security standpoint, she's bringing Dunham, Reynolds and two of the youngest members of the military, both privates, who need more OTG experience. Interestingly, Malcolm is bringing one of his scientists and Maddy.

That revelation made both Jim and Mark protest, so much so that it made Maddy angry, because she took it to mean that they both think she's too weak to handle the trip. Jim, as her father, ended up able to get away with it, but she overheard Mark repeatedly apologizing as he followed her out of the command center after their meeting this morning.

Alicia looks at Gracie, who is dressed in her pink nightshirt and clutching her stuffed dinosaur. "Bug, you know this is my job."

Gracie blinks and sticks her lower lip out. "Wast time you went away with Uncle Mowcome, he bwoke you. Auntie Wisabeth had to fix Mama."

Alicia smiles a little, sitting down in front of Gracie, whose Rs and Ls really suffer when she's upset. "Gracie, Uncle Malcolm didn't break me. I just fell and hurt my knee. I promise I'll be really careful, though. And your Uncle Carter and Uncle Shannon will be there too."

"Dey was there wast time, and they got bwoken too." She now has fat tears forming in her wide blue eyes. Alicia notices Nathaniel at the door, and he looks concerned. "Not want Uncle Mowcome bweak any of you. Dat make Gwacie mad."

Alicia does her best to maintain a serious face, but she has to admit that she can't wait to tell Malcolm that if he "breaks" her, Carter or Shannon, he'll apparently have to answer to Gracie. "Bug, I'm sure he'll be very careful with us."

"I know he will be," Nathaniel cuts in, coming over to the bed and sitting on Gracie's other side, He pulls her into his lap. "He wouldn't dare break anyone and risk both my wrath _and _the wrath of the Graciesaurus."

Gracie sniffles, but she lets out a small, "Rowr!"

Alicia smiles at that, tucking a strand of hair behind Gracie's ear and giving Nathaniel a grateful look before replying, "Rowr, Graciesaurus." She climbs further onto the bed, kneeing her pack out of the way as she does, and curls up next to Nathaniel and Gracie. "I'm going to miss you two."

Nathaniel wraps an arm around her, and Gracie moves closer, snuggling into her chest. "We miss you too, Mama."

The next morning, they're all gathered at the gate. She and Nathaniel already dropped Gracie at school, as they've found that it's easier to distract her there than it is at the gate, where it's hard to forget that it's to say good-bye.

They're taking a rhino and a rover, Alicia, Carter and Jim in the rover. Alicia, Nathaniel and Elisabeth watched, laughing, as Carter informed Jim that since Jim got to ride shotgun last time, this time it's his turn. Carter was subsequently admonished by a slightly weepy Skye to behave himself. As he hugs her, trying to calm her down, Alicia turns to Guz and Mira, who are both there to see them off.

"You aren't allowed to have that baby while we're gone, you know that, right?" Alicia grins at Mira, now thirty-six weeks along.

Mira snorts. "According to Elisabeth, absolutely nothing is currently going on. I'd say the odds are good that he'll still be in residence when you get back."

Alicia nods and goes to stow her pack in the rover as Nathaniel talks to Guz and Jim. Elisabeth is at the rhino, set to be driven by Mark and carrying the other soldiers and the science team. Elisabeth is there, fussing over Maddy and warning Malcolm that her family members, not just Jim and Maddy, but also Mark and Alicia, better all come back in one piece.

Alicia chuckles quietly at the look on Malcolm's face. "What's funny?" Alicia turns to see Mira behind her.

With a grin, Alicia replies, "Malcolm. Gracie insisted we go by his lab so she could warn him that Carter, Jim and I better come back in one piece, or he must face the wrath of Graciesaurus," at Mira's incredulous look, Alicia says, "Seriously. And now it looks like Elisabeth is reading him the riot act."

Mira smiles and nods. "Well, it really hasn't been that long since the three of you had to climb down a mountain on one of his little excursions."

"True. But none of that was actually Malcolm's fault." Alicia is actually starting to feel a little sorry for him.

"I know that, and you know that, but that doesn't really help when folks are feeling irrationally protective, Wash." Mira shrugs. "And that brings me to something else."

Alicia gives her a questioning look, and she explains, "We just want you to be careful," she motions to Guz with her head, "We, Isaac and I, decided we want you and Carter to be the godparents, and I'd prefer that you both be in one piece for that, OK?"

Alicia blinks in surprise. "Mira…"

"I know it's weird. We used to hate each other. But these days, the only person I trust as much as Carter is you. Isaac was good with that, even though he probably would've preferred to have Taylor instead of Carter." She grins. "Don't tell Carter yet, though. I don't want him to get a big head."

Laughing, Alicia reaches out and takes the hand of her very unlikely friend. "If that's my invitation to the role, I accept it, Mira."

"Good. This kid needs as many bad ass women in his world as possible. Will help keep him humble." She grins at Alicia.

"Definitely."

They're both still smiling when the others come up to the rover. Nathaniel pulls her to him and drops a quick kiss to her lips. Before pulling back, he murmurs, "I'll miss you, Alicia. Please be careful."

She leans away, reaching up and cupping his face in her palm. "I will be. I love you, Nathaniel." He releases her, and she steps back. "You guys ready?" She addresses Jim and Carter. They both nod, and after hugging their respective spouses, they climb into the rover, Carter taking the front seat.

Nathaniel smiles down at her. "Guess they worked it out."

Jim must hear, because he calls out, "Yeah, I get the front on the way home."

Alicia laughs and rolls her eyes again, and she leans up to drop one more quick kiss on Nathaniel's lips. After looking over and getting a nod from Reynolds that they're ready to go, she smiles at Nathaniel and climbs into the driver's seat of the rover. She hears him call to the guards to open the gate, and a moment later, they're underway, speeding towards the northern outpost and then, tomorrow morning, on to the Badlands, a place she never really ever wanted to go again.


	2. Chapter 2

All updates won't be this quick, but I had this in my head already, so here it is!

This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

_Northernmost Outpost_

Alicia pulls her rover into the gated area just outside the outpost, and she listens as Reynolds follows her in. Carter and Jim immediately jump out of the rover and close the gate behind them. The trip had been uneventful, but no use in courting trouble.

Some members of Malcolm's science staff along with Curran and a few more soldiers are already here at the outpost, and they come out to meet the group. Curran immediately approaches Alicia. He salutes. "Ma'am."

"Any dino activity today, Corporal?" She looks up at him.

"No ma'am. It's been pretty quiet. Is there anything I can help to unload?"

"I'm good, Curran," she motions to the rhino with her head, "Check on the eggheads."

He smirks a little at that and nods, heading over to offer assistance to Malcolm. Alicia shakes her head, still not believing that he's the same young man who has required not one but two second chances. The first was before the first pilgrimage. He'd been in the running to join them then, but his attitude had gotten him in trouble.

She and Nathaniel decided to give him another shot, and he'd come through with the third pilgrimage. His history only got worse before finally starting to improve after Nathaniel allowed him back to the colony when he had Deborah Tate in tow.

She shoulders her pack and heads into the outpost, followed closely by Jim and Carter. She finds a small, empty room, and she claims one of the beds in it as hers for the night. There are actually four beds in the room, and a moment later, she hears thuds as Carter and Jim each dump their packs on one of the other beds. She lifts an eyebrow at them, and Jim laughs. Carter says, smirking, "Hey Wash, can we sleep in here too?"

"You're both overgrown children."

Jim pipes up. "Was that a yes?" He looks at Carter. "I think that was a yes."

Carter nods. "Definitely a yes. Let's go find some food."

She laughs softly to herself as she follows them out. They head for the kitchen as she turns towards the communications room, wanting to check in with Nathaniel. She knows he'll be hanging around the command center, probably with Gracie, so she can say good night and maybe tell Gracie a story.

A couple of hours later, Alicia, Jim and Carter are seated at a small table talking with Malcolm and Maddy. Malcolm is showing them the scanner and how it works.

Alicia had been examining the small scanner, and she hands it back to Malcolm. "So, we still don't know what the signal is, but we're still picking it up?"

He nods. "Correct on both counts."

She leans back in her chair. "What do you _think _it is, Malcolm? Just a guess."

He hesitates, but then he says, "Honestly, Wash, I think it's something Lucas built. The signal seems too strong and, more importantly, too constant to be time distortions."

Carter looks pensive for a moment. "You know, I've been thinking about it, and once we moved to the new camp, the one we established after we let you escape," he nods to Alicia, and she nods back with a smile, "Lucas would disappear into the rocky hills near the new camp. He'd usually be gone for hours, but more than once, he was gone for days."

Jim looks at Malcolm. "You said it might be some sort of protective field? How could that be powered?"

As Malcolm offers, "Well, he could've set up solar cells like we use, and in the hills, there's also geothermal, wind or possibly hydro," Alicia looks over at Maddy, who has a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Maddy?" The girl looks up in surprise. Alicia gives her a reassuring look. "Did you have another idea?"

"I, um," she looks hesitantly at Malcolm and then back at Alicia, who nods to encourage her. "Well, I was wondering if maybe the Phoenix Group brought through some other sort of power source? That maybe Lucas could have used?"

She nervously looks back at Malcolm, who is frowning slightly. Alicia is intrigued, though, and Jim, sitting next to Maddy, puts a supportive hand on her shoulder. Alicia cocks her head. "What makes you think that?"

She swallows hard. "Well, I was just thinking that while the solar or other alternative energy sources could work, all of our systems generating those kinds of power require a lot of constant maintenance. We've always got crews out. For solar in particular, we have a dedicated team doing maintenance."

Alicia has to admire Maddy's knowledge base. In general, you'd have to look it up in order to know those things. For the most part, the only people aware of the full extent of their maintenance across all areas are Nathaniel, herself and Guz.

She nods, looking at the others around the table. "That's right. For the solar power grid, it's pretty constant work, and for the outposts and few other systems we have running on geothermal, wind or hydro, I send out teams at least four to six times a year. Since both Lucas and the Phoenix Group have been gone for over three years, that would be an awfully long time without maintenance. It would have to be one hell of a system to still be going." She shoots Maddy a smile. "What do _you _think the power source could be, Ms. Shannon?" Alicia knows that Maddy still uses her maiden name for work, just as Alicia does.

Maddy smiles back, clearly feeling a little more confident. "I went to the eye yesterday after Dr. Wallace told me I was coming with you and what we're looking for. I read some of Lucas Taylor's papers from university. He did a lot of research and experimentation with energy sources that could be self-sustaining. They were mostly using radioactive materials, which is why they were rejected for Terra Nova. The idea for the colony was using completely renewable resources like solar or wind."

As the young woman pauses to take a breath, Alicia notices that they're all listening with rapt attention, even Malcolm. "I read that a few of the materials Lucas favored could actually be used in very small quantities, and that they could be self-sustaining for years in the right conditions. If Lucas was able to develop a field of some sort, he could have used the energy source itself to sustain the field that would create the right conditions for the self-sustainability. It's circular, of course, but it's perfect. And there would surely be enough power left over to run equipment for Lucas' work to try to reopen the time portal."

She goes silent, blushing lightly when they realize that they're all staring at her. A moment later, Jim leans over and hugs her to him. "That's _my _girl."

"Dad!" Maddy looks even more embarrassed, but she also looks to be pleased by his reaction.

Alicia just grins at Maddy before turning to Malcolm. "Malcolm?"

He blinks, going from staring at his apprentice to looking at Alicia. She gives him a questioning look. He sighs and stands up. "Good job checking the eye, Maddy," he turns to the others at the table, "Good night, all."

Maddy looks a little concerned at Malcolm's reaction, so Alicia decides to put her mind at ease. "Maddy?" She turns to look at Alicia. "That's really good thinking. And don't worry about Malcolm. You're his student. This is a good reflection on him, and he knows it. Now give a little thought to the type of material we could be looking at and potential safety concerns, OK?"

Maddy glows under the praise, and she nods vigorously. "Yes, ma'am!"

With that, she kisses Jim on the cheek and rushes off, presumably to find Mark. Alicia allocated one of the other private rooms to them when they arrived, giving the third and final one to Malcolm.

Alicia turns to Jim and Carter. "Shannon, Carter, meet me back in our room in a few minutes," she looks at Jim, "I'm going to go talk to Malcolm, make sure he doesn't give Maddy a hard time over showing him up a bit."

Carter nods and stands, and Jim follows him. He turns back briefly. "Wash, thanks for giving Maddy a chance and for looking out for her."

"No problem, Shannon." She grins at him. "Doesn't hurt to keep Malcolm on his toes."

Alicia goes to the room Malcolm is using and knocks on the doorframe. He's on his bed, staring at a plex, and he jumps at the noise. "Lieutenant. What can I do for you?"

"Not be hard on Maddy." Alicia answers him directly.

He looks confused and mildly irritated. "I'm sorry?"

She steps into the room, closing the door behind her. "Especially if she turns out to be right, you need to give her credit where credit is due and not be unpleasant to her for showing you up."

His eyes narrow at her, but she isn't exactly easily intimidated. "Malcolm, you know I like you, and honestly, our relationship got pretty strong when the Phoenix Group took the colony. But you can be petty, especially when it comes to things involving Shannon. Just in case you're irritated at Maddy, I'd like to remind you that she's a bright girl and learning a lot under you. Three years ago, she wouldn't have come up with that. That's on you. So, just keep that in mind." She pauses. "And if I see you get snippy with her, I'll kick your ass. Or maybe I'll just hide your inhaler or something."

He rolls his eyes, but to his credit, he also laughs. "Fair enough, Wash. And as much as Shannon annoys me, I like Maddy. I think I can restrain myself, though it's never easy when a teacher is outpaced by his student."

She smiles and opens his door. "Thanks, Malcolm. Have a good night."

"You too, Wash."

She waves an acknowledgement and heads back to the room she's sharing with Shannon and Carter. When she gets there, they're both sprawled out on their beds, talking. Once again, she closes the door behind her, and they look up at her. "Am I the only one a little concerned that we're going after a signal potentially being sustained by a nuclear power source put in place by a crazy man?"

Carter laughs out loud, and Jim just snorts and says, "No. You're not. That's what we were just talking about, though I'll admit we weren't quite that succinct when expressing our concerns."

She drops onto her own bed. "Reynolds isn't going to like it, but I want Maddy with the three of us tomorrow. I want to ask her some questions, and I'm guessing she won't be as forthcoming in front of Malcolm, who, by the way," she looks at Jim, "Has promised not to give Maddy a hard time over tonight."

Jim looks relieved. "Good, and thanks, Wash. Once I got over being proud of her, I got worried. And I can talk to Mark if you need me to."

"That's OK. He can gripe all he wants, but regardless of how much I treat him like he's my little brother, I'm still his C.O. And I can take the heat. He actually _is _family for you, so you don't need to mess with that."

Carter looks somewhat concerned. "Wash, radiation poisoning is nothing to screw around with. Do we have any toxicity sensors?"

She nods. "Since we didn't know what natural resources we'd encounter here, we brought an array of stuff. They're old, but I'm guessing they still work. I have a few of them in my pack."

"Are you serious? You brought some? Why? How did you know?" Carter looks perplexed, and so does Jim.

Alicia grins and digs her bathroom kit out of her pack. "Maddy's not the only one who can read, boys. I'm going to go brush my teeth." She gives them a little wave and heads for the bathroom.

**WT**WT**WT**

_The Next Morning, En Route to The Badlands_

"I don't think that anything he would have used would be of the sort that was significantly dangerous. A lot of progress was made in the last fifty years refining the types of nuclear material that could be used. Those experiments caused a lot of deaths, horrific deaths by different types of cancer and radiation poisoning, but while the ends do _not _justify the means, they did go a long way towards identifying the safer materials." Maddy, sitting up front next to Wash, is explaining about the different types of radioactive material Lucas might have used to power a shield. Jim and Carter, both in the back, are leaned forward, listening closely.

Alicia nods. "I lost an uncle and a grandmother to the work." Maddy looks at her in surprise, and she just gives her a game smile. "I may have ended up a drop out myself, Maddy, but I didn't come from a long line of them."

Maddy turns bright red, trying to sputter out an apology, and Alicia waves her hand. "Maddy, I'm teasing. I don't get my feelings hurt that easily. Anyway, I think you're right about one thing, Lucas would have used the safer materials, if only out of self-interest. If he'd died of radiation sickness, as awful as this sounds, he wouldn't have gotten to see Nathaniel suffer, and that was his number one goal."

They all go quiet, and Alicia shakes her head. "I don't have a good feeling about this, guys," she addresses Carter and Jim. "Shannon, you and Reynolds keep Maddy close to you, understood? And Dunham and the two kids are on Malcolm and the other scientist. I want them all held back." She looks at Maddy, "Sorry, I know you might be curious, but I'm not letting you or Malcolm near any of the equipment until we know it's safe."

Carter pipes up from the back, "I notice I didn't get a babysitting assignment. I take it I'm with you on lead?"

She nods, catching his eye in the mirror. "You and I are the most familiar with Lucas. We take point on this."

"Sounds good, little sister." He gives her a half smile in the mirror, and she responds in kind.

"Lieutenant?" Maddy's suddenly shy demeanor makes Alicia look over at her. "What was he like before, well, before whatever it was that happened?"

Alicia sighs, not sure how to answer. Eventually, she just says, "He was the most curious, intelligent, sweet kid I'd ever known. In all seriousness, Maddy, he was a male version of you, but if possible, even smarter."

Maddy smiles a little at that and looks down at her hands. Alicia notices that Carter and Shannon sit back, maybe trying to keep clear of this conversation. "He changed after his mother died, didn't he?"

Alicia is quiet for a moment, and then she glances over at Maddy. "He did, but honey, it's not that simple, and it's not a story that's mine to share."

With a nod, Maddy says, "Whatever did it, I'm sorry. I know it still bothers the commander."

Keeping one hand on the wheel, Alicia reaches over with her other hand and grips Maddy's. "It does sometimes, but he's OK, Maddy. The simplest way I can put it is that you don't live as long as he has, as long as we have, with no regrets. But there are just some things that can never be mended. This is one of those things. All that any of us can do is learn to live with our regrets, learn from them and try to move forward."

"Is Gracie his second chance?" Alicia glances over at Maddy again, and she can tell that she immediately is sorry for her words.

She squeezes Maddy's hand again. "No, honey. She's not his second chance. She's his heart. Mine too."

At that, Maddy smiles. Alicia looks up into the mirror and sees both Carter and Jim smiling too. She shakes her head, but before she can make a smart ass comment, she sees the rhino, driven by Reynolds with Malcolm navigating, slow down and come to a stop. She can see that they're near the foothills, due north of the northern outpost, and she pulls up next to the rhino.

She climbs out of the rover, holding her hand out to Maddy to indicate that she's to stay by the vehicle. Carter follows Alicia while Jim stays put with Maddy. As he gets out of the rhino, Alicia calls out to Malcolm, "Close readings?"

As Reynolds, Dunham and the other scientist and soldiers follow him out, Malcolm nods. He points up the hillside. "I think it's coming from somewhere up in the rocks. I'm betting there's a cave up there, one we can't see from here."

"OK." She holds her hand out for the scanner.

Malcolm looks surprised, but hands it over. After a moment, his face falls. "Wash, I…"

She shakes her head, beckoning Carter over. "No, Malcolm. Something feels off here. I don't know what it is, but I don't trust Lucas. You and Maddy can follow, but you hang back. Shannon is staying right with you. Dunham, Reynolds?" The last two turn to her at loose attention. "You're to stay with Maddy, Malcolm and Shannon. Keep an eye on things." She looks at the others. "You all can stay here with the vehicles."

The rest of them nod their agreement, and even though he looks like he wants to argue, Malcolm stays quiet. Alicia goes back to the rover and shoulders into her pack. She has water and climbing gear in it, along with the radiation sensors. She pulls out two of the latter, clipping one to her belt. She hands the other to Carter, and he does the same.

She picks up a sonic rifle from the back of the rover, and Carter grabs a similar weapon. She turns back to the group. She addresses Malcolm and Jim, who are standing near one another. "Until I give you the high sign, I want you at least twenty feet behind us. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, Wash." Jim speaks up for both of them, not giving Malcolm the chance to disagree. He indicates Carter with his head. "You two be careful."

She smirks at him. "Aren't we always?" She turns and heads up the hillside, rifle in one hand, scanner in the other.

Carter laughs, and he follows close behind her. She has to chuckle when she hears Jim's voice behind them. "You know, last time you two went off alone, I nearly fell off a mountain. Can we not have a repeat of that?"

As they ascend the hillside, she and Carter get serious again, both watching out for any sign of a cave or any sort of manmade objects. About halfway up, they hit a small plateau. At the back of it, they see a narrow opening, maybe two or three feet wide at the most. When Alicia shines a light into it, though, something reflects the light back.

"Bingo." Carter grins.

Alicia hands him the scanner, and she carefully begins to move towards the opening. When she gets to it safely, she peers inside. It appears to be dark inside, but then she detects a faint glow from the back of the cavern, which looks to be decently large.

Taking a deep breath, she slips inside. When she clears the opening, she swings her light around. The light reflects again, and she can see metal at the back of the cavern. She furrows her brow, approaching whatever it is that keeps reflecting the light. Carter follows her in, and she can hear him behind her.

She slowly and carefully makes her way back to the metal she keeps seeing. As she does, she hears more movement at the cave opening, and she sees Jim and Malcolm peer in. She rolls her eyes at that and continues advancing. Carter is less than five feet behind her when she turns, shrugging, about to say that it seems safe to her.

In that moment, she must trip some sort of proximity sensor, because just as she's about to give an all clear, everything near her lights up, far more equipment than she expected, and she hears a buzzing sound. Carter is closer to her now, so, instinctively, she puts out both hands and shoves him backwards towards the entrance. The motions send both of them tumbling away from each other, him towards the cave entrance and her towards the back of the cave.

She lands hard, her pack taking the brunt of the impact, but before she can struggle up, the buzzing gets louder. The lights get even brighter, and suddenly, there's almost a ripping sound. She realizes that she and Carter are now separated by a shimmering wall of light. As she gets to her feet, Carter grabs a rock and tosses it towards her. It passes clean through the wall of light, coming to a stop near her boot.

She bends down and picks up the rock, and she goes to toss it back to Carter. Instead of passing through, though, the small rock bounces off of the barrier, rolling right back to her. She looks up and her eyes meet Carter's, realization likely passing across both of their faces.

As Jim, Malcolm, Reynolds and Maddy rush forward, Alicia sits down hard on the cave floor, the light still shimmering happily. "Oh crap."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Fill for LiveJournal Friday one word prompt "Force" for Wash and Taylor.

Now have a better idea where I'm going with this one, and I'm trying to keep the updates to a reasonable length (as opposed to my usual over-long chapters that should've been split into two – upside = more frequent posts).

This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

_Badlands Cave_

Alicia and Carter stare at each other through the barrier. If her face is anything like his, the expression is a blend of nausea and sheer panic. After a moment, she realizes that he is calling her name. "Wash? Alicia? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Carter." She looks at him, and he blinks, looking confused.

"Wash, did you say something? It looked like you did, but I didn't hear anything."

By this time, Jim and Malcolm are next to Carter, with Maddy and Mark right behind them. She raises her voice this time. "I said I'm fine!"

"Can you hear her?" Carter looks at Jim and then at Malcolm.

They both shake their heads, and Carter says, "Shit." He looks at her. "Wash, I don't know if you can hear us, but we can't hear you."

"Son of a bitch," Alicia mutters under her breath. She thinks for a moment, and then an idea occurs to her. She grabs her pack and digs out her plex. She turns it on and flips it to a typing mode, setting it to a black screen with large white font. She types out a quick message. _"I can hear you. Looks like it's just one way, though, just like the rock wouldn't pass back through."_

"Got it." Carter nods, and she feels relieved that she can at least communicate with them. "So, are you OK, Wash?"

_"I'm fine. Malcolm, suggestions?"_

"Do you see any sort of terminal or interface for the equipment?" Malcolm moves a little closer to the barrier, and Carter catches his arm.

"Doc, be careful. We know that rock went through clean, but we don't know what it'll do to something that's alive." Carter gives him a warning look.

"I have an idea!" Maddy grabs Mark's hand and drags him out of the cave with her.

"Maddy!" Jim turns to follow, but Maddy almost immediately returns, Mark behind her with a funny look on his face.

Maddy points at the barrier and tells Mark, "Send it through!"

Alicia stands again and watches with great interest, curious as to what the young woman is up to. Mark steps forward and crouches down near the barrier, something in his hand. A moment later, he releases a medium sized bug, maybe three inches long, and herds it towards the barrier.

It tries to skitter away from Mark, but he won't let it get by him. Realizing what he's doing, Carter and Malcolm both drop down to pen the creature further until it turns and runs towards the barrier. In a pop of light, it passes through and keeps running, straight past Alicia and to the dark recesses at the back of the cave.

Alicia grabs her plex. She smirks as she holds up her message. _"Have I ever told you guys how much I hate bugs? Thanks. No, really, thanks._"

Carter just laughs, but incredulously, Jim says, "You'll scale a mountain and get in a fist fight with someone twice your size, but you're afraid of bugs?"

She lifts an eyebrow and types again. _"I said I hate bugs, Shannon, not that I'm afraid of them._"

He throws his hands up. "Even typing you can't call me Jim? It's shorter. Easier to type. Try it. J-I-…"

He stops speaking when she holds up her plex again. _"I will not type it in a box, I will not type it with a fox._"

Maddy, Carter and Reynolds all laugh out loud at that, and even Jim cracks a smile. Malcolm looks at all of them like they're insane. Maddy grins. "Dr. Wallace, it's a children's book by Dr. Seuss, _Green Eggs and Ham_. Zoe and I downloaded it for Gracie."

Alicia holds up the plex again. _"So, Malcolm...help?"_

He approaches the barrier again. "Try to find a terminal or interface, Wash."

She nods and starts to look around. All of the equipment, dark before the barrier rose, is now blinking and humming slightly. After a moment, she finds what appears to be a small screen and keyboard, and something that looks like a small digital video recorder. Cringing, she reaches out and taps what looks to be a space bar.

The small screen blinks to life. On it, she sees the words, "Greetings, Lucas. Please enter your password." At the name, she would never admit to anyone that a chill ran up her spine.

She grabs her plex and types, _"Have a keyboard and screen here." _She turns back to it, and she sees that the screen is prompting for a password again, and this time, it's counting down from thirty seconds. "Shit." She types again. _"Back away. May have a problem here."_

When they read the message, both Carter and Jim protest, but she just points towards the cave entrance, a stormy expression on her face. Mark pulls Maddy back, and when Alicia sees Carter pushing Jim and Malcolm back, she turns back to the machine. Its countdown is almost complete. She winces slightly in anticipation, but what happens next surprises her beyond anything she might have imagined.

When the counter hits zero, the small camera lights up, and Alicia suddenly realizes that it's also a holographic projection device. She knows this, because out of nowhere, a projection of Lucas pops up. Instinctively, she backs up, literally hitting the wall of the cave.

Even more disturbing, the image begins to speak. "If anyone could find this place, I just know it will be you, _Dad. _You're the only one who would look hard enough for me. So, in anticipation of your visit, I created this little movie for you. You've met my friends and employers, the Phoenix Group, and your little kingdom is in ruins. Once I get the portal open again, I'll finish you and your precious Terra Nova completely."

"Wash, what the hell is that?" Alicia hears Carter's voice, but she just waves at him and continues to watch the hologram.

"Just so you know, you can't get out of here, not without disconnecting the equipment. The only way to do that safely is to decipher the algorithm I designed to generate random passwords. To do that, you pretty much have to know everything about me, and the tools are here in the system. Questions to get you to the answer. Questions about my education and my life after Somalia. I want you to truly understand what you don't know about me."

Alicia shivers again as the hologram gives an evil smile. "I've done some rough calculations, and if there's only one person trapped in here, you probably have about four days, ninety-six hours, worth of air. If there's more than one, well, you can do the math." The hologram cocks its head, and it says, "And Wash, if it's you here either with or instead of your great and worshipped commander, someone as blindly and stupidly loyal as you deserves to die for him. And I know how much losing you will hurt him, so really, it's a bonus. The password to start going through the algorithm puzzle is Somalia. Good luck. Trust me, you're going to need it."

Clutching her plex tight in her hand, Alicia slides down the cave wall until she's sitting on the ground. She pulls her knees to her chest, and she sits and stares at the place where the hologram was. After a few moments, she looks up at Carter, Malcolm and Shannon, all of them standing as close to the barrier as they dare. She shakes her head at them, opens a message window on the plex and starts to type.

After a minute or so, she goes up to the barrier and holds up the plex. The first message is, _"Take notes." _Then, she slowly scrolls through all of it, one plex screen at a time. Malcolm takes notes on his own plex, typing furiously. The last screen is just four words. _"I need Nathaniel. Now."_

Alicia then nods to all of them, and she goes back to the wall, sliding back down into a sitting position again. Beyond the barrier, she can hear them all talking. She drops her plex, draws her knees to her chest and drops her head.

"Does she have water and food? We have extra water and protein bars in the rhino." Mark looks ill as he peers at his C.O. and adopted older sister.

Carter looks at him. "Go get it all and push it through the barrier." Mark nods and runs out of the cave. Looking at Malcolm and Jim, he asks, "How do we get Taylor here as quickly as possible?"

Jim immediately replies, "We added long range communicators to the rhinos. If we can't raise him from here, we can drive south until we can connect with the colony."

"OK," Carter nods, "Malcolm, one of us will take you in the rhino and drive until you get the signal. The rest will stay here. Maybe Maddy can help figure out a way to deactivate this thing from out here."

They look over at Maddy. She's standing near the barrier, staring at Alicia. She's been uncharacteristically silent since they read about what Alicia has to do to get out. Jim gets a concerned look on his face. "Sweetheart?"

Maddy glances at them and then turns her eyes back to Alicia, who, feeling Maddy staring at her, looks up. "Dad, Dr. Wallace, you should tell Commander Taylor to bring CO2 scrubbers. We'll need them to keep the air breathable. There are portable ones in the lab. Two of them should be plenty. We need the extra water and bars, too, definitely."

"We? Maddy what are you talking about?" Jim takes a step towards her as Mark re-enters the cave.

Alicia stands up. She sees something in Maddy's demeanor that worries her, but she can't warn them quickly enough. She sees Maddy look at Jim and then Mark, tears in her eyes, and then she hears Maddy say, "Daddy, Mark, I love you and I'm sorry."

Alicia runs towards the barrier. "Maddy, no!"

Carter sees her and then he realizes what's happening, but even though they all move towards Maddy, she's too far away. She takes a deep breath and steps through the barrier. As she does, Alicia hears Mark. "Maddy, don't!"

After a flash of light, Maddy drops to her knees inside the barrier. The men are all yelling, but Alicia ignores them getting to Maddy and dropping to her own knees. "Maddy. Maddy! Are you all right?"

The girl looks down for a moment, and then she sniffles and turns her face up to Alicia's. "You'll need my help. I read all about his school years when I was in the eye, and my memory is almost eidetic. If the commander missed anything those years, you'd be trapped here. You sacrificed yourself for me once. I'm just paying you back. If I'd asked, you all would have said no." She swallows a sob, and then she hurls herself at Alicia, wrapping her arms around her.

Stunned, Alicia just hugs the girl to her. She looks up at Mark and Jim, both standing at the threshold. She mouths, "I'm sorry," to both of them.

She sees Mark try to follow Maddy, only to be stopped by Malcolm. "Reynolds, no! Two of them will already tax the air supply. We need to go get Taylor now. That's the best way to help them."

Mark struggles against Malcolm and then Jim, who steps over to help. He doesn't stop fighting them until he meets Alicia's eyes, and she firmly shakes her head and clearly mouths, "No. That's an order."

The young man balls his hands into fists and he slams one of them into the nearest wall. Alicia looks up in alarm, and Carter moves over to him, examining his bloody fist. Maddy suddenly realizes something is wrong. "Mark!"

"Stay, Maddy." Alicia gives her a stern look, and then she goes and retrieves her plex, typing out another message. _"Carter, you Shannon and Mark stay here. Malcolm, let Dunham take you to call Nathaniel. Don't forget the CO2 scrubbers."_

"Lieutenant?" Alicia hears Maddy's meek voice behind her. She turns. "Can someone bring my pack up? I downloaded information about Lucas, some of his papers and research, from the eye into my plex. It might help us."

Alicia uses the plex to relay the message to Carter. "OK, Wash. I'll go get it. I need to get a first aid kit anyway. Also," he holds up a bag, "Here is the water and protein bars. I kept a little out for us, but we're asking Taylor to bring more." He beckons her closer to the barrier. She steps up, and he says, "I'm going to keep Shannon and Reynolds calm. Is she OK?"

Alicia nods with a certainty she doesn't actually feel. Even if he doesn't believe her, he doesn't argue, and she's grateful for that. She gives Carter a weak smile and walks back to Maddy, who is now sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. "Is Mark all right?"

Looking at her, Alicia decides that she needs to be straight with her. "No, Maddy. I doubt that he is. But he'll manage."

The young woman folds her arms on her knees and buries her face. "I just want to help. I know it's the right thing, but Mark and Daddy are going to kill me, aren't they?"

Alicia wraps a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulling Maddy into her side. "Well, honey, I won't lie. They're upset. But that's because they're scared. Neither of them is used to you being in danger, and for you to step into even more danger just makes it worse. Once we're out, though, I'm pretty sure they'll be more interested in hugging you than anything else."

Carter reappears, and he comes over and slides Maddy's pack through the barrier. Alicia gets up and gets it, nodding her thanks to Carter. She brings it over and sits back down next to Maddy. "OK, kid. Time to start proving to me that this risk was worth it."

Maddy's eyes grow wide at that, but she takes her pack and pulls out her plex. "Yes, ma'am."

_Terra Nova_

"They're _what_?" Nathaniel can't believe what he just heard. He's seated at the communications station in the command center.

Malcolm's voice cuts over the radio. "Wash and Maddy are trapped inside an energy barrier. They need your help, Taylor."

As Malcolm explains what happened, Nathaniel sinks into himself. By the time Malcolm finishes talking, Nathaniel has gone completely silent. After a moment, Malcolm just says, "I'm sorry, Commander."

Nathaniel shakes his head and expels a deep breath. He doesn't have time to wallow in this. "What do I need to bring, Malcolm?"

"Food and water, a few of the CO2 scrubbers from my lab and anything we have on Lucas' work and life from 2138 on." Malcolm's voice trails off on the last item, but Nathaniel lets it go.

"OK, Malcolm. Get back there. Help them if you can. I'm going to get loaded. Reilly and I will go as far as we can tonight. If we're lucky, we'll get to the northern outpost. If not, we'll get to the one that's about two hours south of it."

"Understood, sir. We'll see you tomorrow then."

"You will, Malcolm. Terra Nova out." With that, Nathaniel leans back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. He gets up to go find Elisabeth and then Reilly, knowing they don't have a lot of time.

It's just under an hour later when he leaves Gracie's school, her planted firmly on his hip. He'd been hoping that he'd be able to drop in and talk to her and then leave again. It wasn't to be. Her lip had gone out and started quivering, the huge tears forming in her eyes, and he immediately radioed Elisabeth to ask her to meet him at the gate.

She is upset that he won't let her come with him, but as of now, a doctor isn't needed. He also prefers to have Gracie stay with Elisabeth and Zoe. The other choice was Guz and Mira, but with Mira so far along – another reason he wants Elisabeth here – he doesn't want to leave that extra burden on them.

When he gets to the gate, pack on his shoulder and armor on, Reilly is waiting for him. While they wait for Elisabeth, Reilly quietly talks to Gracie, trying to get her to smile. In response, Gracie buries her little face in his neck, clinging tight to him.

"Hey, little Bug, we'll both be back soon." He looks up to see Elisabeth approaching. "Aunt Elisabeth is here. You'll have a good time with her and Zoe."

Gracie just clings tighter to him and sniffles. "I want my mama."

"I know, Bug. She'll be home soon." He hugs her close before turning to pass her to Elisabeth. She whimpers as he loosens his grip, and it nearly kills him. "Bug, I need to go."

"Mama not hurt again? You pwomise?" She still won't loosen her hold on him.

"Right now, your mama is fine, Bug. I promise. She just needs my help."

"You make sure Mama not get hurt?" She leans away to look up, turning pleading eyes to him.

"I'll do everything I can to protect her, Bug."

That seems to mollify her somewhat, and she allows him to pass her to Elisabeth. He kisses Gracie's forehead and shoots Elisabeth a grateful look before turning to go. "Daddy?"

"Bug?" He turns back.

She suddenly looks stern, every inch of her a mini-Alicia. "Mama no go with Unca Mowcome anymore. He's twouble."

For the first time since Malcolm's call, he can't help but crack a smile. "Noted, Bug, and I agree. No more OTG with Malcolm."

She nods decisively, and Elisabeth snorts. "Be careful, Taylor."

"Will do, Doc. See you soon." He calls up to the soldiers on guard duty to open the gate, and a moment later he and Reilly roar out, pedal to the floor, speeding due north to the Badlands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Fill for LiveJournal Week 30 Friday one word prompt "Force" for Wash and Taylor.

Apologies for the slow posting. Had some (now ongoing, yay) work drama on Friday that made it difficult to focus on non-worky things. Also have been slow to reply to comments – mea culpa for that as well!

This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

_Badlands Cave_

After spending several hours reading Lucas' papers and information from his college days and beyond, Alicia is ready to turn her brain off a little. She wants to not think about Lucas again until Nathaniel gets here.

Malcolm and Dunham are back, but everyone is quiet. The men are taking turns on guard duty, not wanting to have to deal with any predators coming into the cave. They got word from Nathaniel and Reilly. Alicia doesn't want to know how fast Nathaniel drove, because they made it all the way to the northernmost outpost. That's still several hours from here, but if they leave at first light, they'll be here late morning at the latest.

Carter pushed a sleeping bag and some blankets to them through the barrier. Alicia gave Maddy the sleeping bag, keeping the two blankets for herself. Maddy isn't used to having to try to sleep in places like caves, so Alicia thought the bag would at least be a little more comfortable for her. They both had a couple of protein bars and some water, and they used the "facility," as Maddy referred to it, that they established in the back of the cavern.

It's pretty dark in the cave. On this side of the barrier, the electronics provide a light glow, and the others have a small fire built. The smoke isn't coming through the barrier for some reason, but Alicia isn't complaining about that. Still sitting up, boots off, Alicia has a blanket under her and the other wrapped around herself. She closes her eyes, letting her head fall back against the cave wall.

"Lieutenant?"

Alicia opens her eyes again and looks over at Maddy. "What's up, Maddy?"

"You may tell me to mind my own business, and I know you said it's not your story to tell, but I really would like to understand. Why would the commander's son do something like this? What did the commander do to him that was so awful?" Maddy's eyes are wide, not with curiosity, but with true confusion.

Alicia sighs. "Maddy, it's complicated. It had a lot to do with perception versus reality, but it also may have been completely unavoidable after what happened to Lucas." The young woman nods, still looking confused.

"Maddy, if I explain this to you, you cannot share it with anyone, and I mean _anyone_. Not Mark, not your dad, not your mom, not a living soul. Are we clear?" Alicia waits for Maddy to nod, and then she says, "When we were fighting in Somalia, back in 2138, the military had been allowed to bring their families over. The place where we were stationed was considered safe."

Alicia sighs again, pulling out her ponytail holder and running a hand through her hair. "That assessment was incorrect. Guerilla forces came in and kidnapped families in an effort to 'break' our military leaders. Nathaniel's wife, her name was Ayani, and Lucas were both taken. Nathaniel found out where they were being held, and he went after them. When he got there, he was forced to choose between them."

Maddy gasps at that, her eyes wide and a hand over her mouth. Alicia looks down. "He chose Lucas, as any parent would. Ayani died…badly, and Lucas and Nathaniel were forced to watch. Lucas was only fourteen."

Alicia hears Maddy sniffle, and she looks up to see her crying. "It was horrifying, and for Nathaniel, it was made even worse by the fact that, on that same day, approximately 90% of our unit was slaughtered by the same guerilla forces. I nearly died that day too. I was shot three times, and I nearly bled out in the medevac. Out of a unit of more than thirty soldiers, only four of us survived that day; me, Nathaniel and two others."

Alicia takes a deep breath. "From that day on, Lucas was damaged, and understandably so. Their relationship never recovered." She pauses, looking at Maddy. "That's all I'm going to say about it. Some of that is common knowledge among the soldiers, but they know not to talk about it. There's more to the story, and I know there are things even _I _don't know. So, if at any time tomorrow you get asked to step away, don't be hurt, Maddy. It's not personal."

Maddy nods. "I understand. And I'm sorry, sorry for all of it. No wonder he was so upset that night in the command center, when he'd been infected with the same thing that infected Mom and Malcolm."

Alicia looks thoughtful at the memory. "You know, Maddy, this is the second time you've put yourself in danger by doing something impulsive. Mark's probably just going to handcuff you to him from now on." She lifts an eyebrow at the young woman, trying to lighten things a little.

A blush rises on her cheeks and she looks down. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I'm not sure how I manage to get myself in trouble like this."

Laughing softly, Alicia reaches over and pats Maddy's shoulder. "I was kidding, Maddy. It's OK. You know that you could have just relayed information through the barrier, right? You didn't have to come in here?"

She smiles sheepishly. "I was worried that the questions might have time limits. But in general, you're right. I do get in trouble too much. There's even stuff you don't know about."

"Hmm. Post-meteor all-nighter?" Alicia smirks at Maddy's shocked expression. "I figured it out and cornered Reynolds. I was so damned entertained by it that I mostly let it go."

"Mostly?"

"Let's just say that for a couple of weeks he spent a lot more time running and sparring than he really wanted to." Alicia smiles. "He was just lucky your father never noticed that you were out all night."

"How _did _you figure it out?" Maddy stares at her, still flabbergasted.

"I caught Mark trying to sneak into the showers."

"Oh. Yeah, we smelled really bad." The sheepish smile returns, making Alicia laugh.

"OK, Maddy. Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Alicia settles back against the wall, on alert just in case some sort of predator manages to get past the guys.

"Good night, Lieutenant." The younger woman curls into a little ball, only the top of her head visible.

"Good night, Maddy." As she sits there watching Maddy sleep, Alicia gets a smile on her face, suddenly trying to imagine Gracie as a grown up. She realizes that it won't bother her at all if her little girl grows into a young woman like Maddy. She may be too impulsive, but she's a good girl with good intentions. With that thought in mind, Alicia drifts off to sleep, dread about tomorrow pushed as far to the back of her head as she can get it.

The next morning, Alicia is awakened by a large bang. She jerks awake, pulling her gun out and powering it up in one smooth motion. Blinking, she remembers where she is, and seeing that nothing new has joined them inside the barrier, she powers her gun back down and re-holsters it.

She stands up, arching her back in a stretch. Peering into the outer cave, she sees someone moving around, so, after looking down and seeing that Maddy slept through the noise, she grabs her plex and heads over to the barrier. Mark is kneeling on the cave floor, putting some supplies back into the first aid kit. That getting dropped must have been the noise she heard.

She looks towards the cave entrance, and she realizes that Mark is the only one in the cave right now. He notices her movement, and he looks up and meets her eyes. It's clear he barely slept, and she knows he's worried about Maddy. Alicia types a message on the plex and holds it up. _"You OK, kid?"_

He sighs and nods. "I'm OK, Wash."

_"How's the hand?"_

He holds up his left hand. It's heavily taped, but it doesn't appear to be too swollen. "I think it's just bruised. I can move it OK, and it doesn't hurt too bad." As he talks, he leans around to try to see Maddy.

Alicia smiles a little. _"She's still asleep. She's all right, Mark. Scared but all right. Braver than I realized, too."_

In spite of himself, that makes him smile and nod. "She is. Brave, I mean. I'm proud of her, Wash, but I won't be OK if…"

She holds up a hand and shakes her head. _"We'll be all right. All of us will be all right, you copy me, Reynolds?"_

"Yes ma'am."

She gives him a quick nod, and then she steps away, going back over to Maddy. She taps her on the shoulder, offering her the plex. "Go talk to your husband before things get crazy."

Maddy blinks at her a few times. Then, clearly realizing what Alicia said, she grabs the plex, jumps up and runs over to the barrier. Alicia laughs quietly, and she goes about getting ready for the day. All they have to do now is wait for Nathaniel. She checks her watch, and she's surprised to see that it's after eight. Knowing Nathaniel and his driving, she knows it won't be long before he and Reilly arrive.

She isn't disappointed. Just under an hour later, she hears voices out in the cave, and she looks up to see Nathaniel come in followed closely by Reilly. Alicia and Maddy jump up from where they've been sitting on the ground, and they head over to the barrier. Alicia brings a plex. She types something and holds it up. _"Hey soldier. Come here often?"_

Despite the haunted look he has in his eyes, Nathaniel huffs out a laugh at that. "Smart ass."

She just shrugs, but her eyes are soft when she looks at him. It hurts her heart that this happened, that he's having to go through one more reminder of how badly things fell apart with Lucas. She can tell that he knows what she's thinking, as he gives her an almost imperceptible nod.

Malcolm approaches the barrier, two small metal boxes in hand. He puts them down and shoves them through. Maddy takes them both and turns them on, and they both make soft little whirring sounds like fans. She puts them on opposite sides of the cave, and she checks a gauge on one of them. "Lieutenant?" Alicia looks over at her. "They're working. The O2 levels were still in a safe zone, but the CO2 concentration is already dropping. It should stay down now."

"Thanks, Maddy." She turns back to Nathaniel, giving him a nod.

Before Nathaniel can step through, Jim clears his throat. "Taylor, is this the best way to do this? What if you can't get through the questions from your son? Then you're all stuck."

Nathaniel looks at Jim and then at Malcolm. "If that happens, Malcolm, it'll be up to you to figure out how to turn this damned thing off." He turns back to Jim. "We'll get your daughter out of there, Shannon. I promise you that." He nods to Mark, too, silently making him the same promise.

Then, with his pack still on his shoulder, he steps through, the light brightening briefly as he passes through the barrier. The moment he's inside, he drops his pack and wraps his arms around Alicia, briefly pressing his face into her neck. "Are you all right?"

She combs her fingers through his hair. "I'm fine, Nathaniel."

He lifts his head and presses a kiss to her lips, and then he pulls back, smoothing some loose hair out of her eyes. "Really, Alicia, _are you all right?_"

She's confused for a moment, but then she sees the look in his eyes. She can see that he's worried that this will have upset her, given that her last experience with Lucas was Lucas trying to kill both her and Gracie. Her eyes and voice soften. "I really am. It was disconcerting to hear his voice again, but I'm OK. I promise."

He keeps his eyes on her for a moment before nodding slightly and turning to Maddy. "And you, Mrs. Reynolds?"

Maddy blushes. "I'm all right, sir."

"So, what do we do?" He looks back at Alicia. "Do I want to see the hologram?"

She can tell from his demeanor that he wants the truth, not what she thinks he might like hearing. She shakes her head. "You don't Nathaniel. I'm sorry."

She sees a flash of pain in his eyes, but he veils it quickly. "Understood. I take it you didn't start yet?"

Alicia walks over to the interface. "No. We didn't want to in case the responses had time limits or anything like that."

"OK," he glances towards her waist and lifts an eyebrow. "Are you wearing one of the radiation sensors?"

Maddy speaks up. "I hypothesized that the power source, probably brought in by the Phoenix Group, was likely nuclear, given the fact that it's still running over three years later."

"Fair enough. Anything so far?"

"No," Alicia replies, "Hasn't done a thing. Here's hoping it stays that way."

"So," he looks at her expectantly, "What do we do?"

She peers at the interface. "When I first got in here, I hit that space bar, and it lit everything up and prompted for a password."

"Then I guess we hit it again?" Maddy steps up next to them, also eyeing the keyboard and screen.

"I guess so." Alicia reaches out and hits the space bar key, and once again, the greetings to Lucas and the password prompt comes up. Alicia feels Nathaniel go tense, and his hand immediately goes to her lower back, as protective as he's willing to act in front of Maddy. Alicia looks up at him and gives him what she hopes is a reassuring smile, and then she enters the password Lucas provided via the hologram and hits what appears to be an enter key.

Nathaniel must watch carefully as she types, because she hears a sharp intake of breath. In a quiet voice, he asks, "The password is Somalia?" At her nod, he says, "You're right. I don't want to see the hologram."

She keeps her right hand free for typing whatever might be asked for, but she reaches back with her left hand, covering his hand on her lower back with hers. Almost immediately, he turns his hand over and grips hers, entwining their fingers. Along with Maddy, they watch the small screen.

A moment later, a question pops up on the screen. Inside, Alicia is flooded with relief. She was afraid that all of the questions would be delivered by the hologram. The question was simple, what year did Lucas start college, Alicia types in 2139, knowing he'd started right after Ayani's death. She looks at Nathaniel, who nods. She hits the enter key, and it pops up the word "betrayal," making Alicia wince.

Maybe just to let her know he's OK, Nathaniel squeezes her hand with his. Next to them, another terminal appears, rolling up from inside a console. It also has a small screen, and it prompts for a password. Alicia looks at Maddy. She nods. "I'll take this one." She types in the word betrayal, and then she hits enter. When she does, one section of the equipment goes dark.

With that, they hear a beep, and they all look back at the original terminal. A new question appears. This one is about what Lucas was studying. They answer, the password appears, and so on. Slowly, they get through six questions, each about some aspect of Lucas' time in school. Maddy jumps in with two of the answers, knowing them right off the top of her head.

Suddenly, after they enter the sixth password into the system, instead of equipment shutting down, something Alicia had been dreading might happen occurs. The hologram projector lights up, and the image of Lucas appears. Maddy steps back instinctively, and from the other side of the barrier, Alicia hears Carter yell, "What's happening, Wash?"

Alicia holds up her hand to Carter, signaling that they're all right. It takes a moment for the hologram to start talking, and Alicia looks up at Nathaniel, his face pale and eyes transfixed on the image of his son. She re-takes his hand, and she squeezes it tight. He squeezes back, basically clinging to her hand.

"Well, Dad, if that's who is here, I'm impressed that you got this far. Now, I'm going to give you a possible out," Alicia glances up at Nathaniel at that, just as he glances down at her. He looks as confused as she feels. "The next password will drop the barrier, but only for three seconds. If you can make it out, go. Of course, since the system will remain active, that risks an eventual overload or problem with it, leaving a radioactivity risk to your precious new earth."

With that, the hologram blinks off again. Alicia stares at the place where Lucas' image was. "We can't leave it running."

"You're right, we can't. But you and Maddy are leaving." His voice is firm.

"What?" Alicia turns to him, brow furrowed. Wisely, Maddy backs up to the barrier. Alicia looks at her and sees her typing on a plex. She assumes that she's updating the others and turns back to Nathaniel. "I'm not leaving without you."

He puts his hands on her upper arms. "Yes, Alicia, you are. Consider it an order. I want you safely outside that damned barrier."

"Nathaniel…"

"No, Alicia. I'm serious. Gracie needs you. If this goes bad, I need to know that Gracie is OK." She starts to argue, and he uses his hands on her arms to move her towards the barrier. "It's not up for discussion."

Alicia doesn't say anything. She feels hot tears of frustration in her eyes, but she blinks them back. He kisses her forehead before turning to Maddy. "Maddy, get your pack."

Alicia just stands by the barrier, silent. He brings her pack to her, and she takes it, slinging it over one shoulder. Maddy returns with her pack as well, and they both stand near the barrier as Nathaniel goes back to the terminal. He presses the space bar and the next question pops up. "It's a softball. Wants to know which pilgrimage he came on." He looks at them both, barely able to look Alicia in the eye. He types in the answer, and then he steps over to the other terminal. "Get ready."

Maddy and Alicia both nod, Alicia staring at him. She then, along with Maddy, turns to face the barrier. She looks back over her shoulder, and she sees that Nathaniel has turned to the terminal. She hears the faint tap of keys as he enters the new password, and the barrier blinks off. Immediately, Maddy steps across the threshold. Alicia, though, is frozen in place. She knows she can't go, order be damned.

A second later, the barrier flashes back up as Jim and Carter reach towards her. She shakes her head at them. They stop moving and look at her, eyes wide with shock. She turns back around, and she sees Nathaniel still facing away from her. He's leaning on the second terminal, knuckles going white as he grips the edge.

She drops her pack, making a loud thud. He turns, his eyes widening at the sight of her still inside the barrier. His mouth opens, but no words come out, and she closes the distance between them in seconds. "Gracie needs me, but she needs _you _too, and so do I. I told you before that I don't think I'd be able to function without you, and that's still the truth. If I have a chance to help you, that's what I'm going to do. Court martial me if you have to, but you're stuck with me, Taylor, for the rest of our damned lives."

He shakes his head, but instead of the explosion of anger she expected, he steps forward and wraps her in a tight hug. She immediately responds, her arms going tight around him. With her face next to his ear, she says quietly, "Lucas told me more than once that I'm stupidly, blindly loyal to you, but he's wrong. While I may not be the biggest brain in the room, I've never been blind. I see you. It's his loss that he didn't, and I'll not let you suffer through this alone."

He pulls back slightly and presses his forehead to hers. When he speaks, his voice is even more of a growl than usual. "I should be very angry with you right now, Lieutenant."

She gives him a game smile. "Yes, you should be."

His expression softens and he lets out a soft laugh. He leans down and kisses her. When he pulls away, there's a small, determined fire in his eyes. "Let's finish this and go home."

Her smile widens and she nods decisively. He steps back over to the other terminal, but before he does, he smacks her on the rear, making her squeak. She hears the others behind the barrier all laugh out loud, and she gives him a dark look. "That was for the insubordination."

"Was it now?" She lifts an eyebrow at him.

"I'd retaliate further, but I'd hate to undermine you in front of the guys."

"Jack ass."

"That's Commander Jack Ass to you, Lieutenant."

She can't help the snort of laughter that erupts, and she shakes her head at him, rolling her eyes as she turns back to the terminal. "Yes, sir, Commander Jack Ass, sir."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Fill for **a LiveJournal **Week 30 Friday one word prompt "Force" for Wash and Taylor.

Apologies for the slow posting. Add a nasty case of bronchitis to my work drama, and real life has been a bit of a drag! There will be one more chapter after this one.

This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

"OK, let's stop for a minute." Nathaniel puts a hand on her shoulder. She looks up at him, a questioning expression on her face. "The last question was a softball, and I think if Lucas assumed I'd be the one here, he'd have known that I wouldn't leave, same with you."

She nods slowly. "I think that's probably accurate. You're thinking the next question is going to be hard."

He sighs. "Yes. That, and just because we haven't been timed before, that doesn't mean it can't change. Also," his eyes sweep the remaining active equipment, "Even though it has been working so far, that doesn't mean that time hasn't taken a toll here. Remember what Malcolm said about Lucas – he was a great physicist, but not much of an engineer. If he built this stuff himself, it might not be as reliable as we'd like it to be."

"Fair enough." She looks at all the equipment again herself. "It looks as though five consoles are still active, including the one asking the questions." She cocks her head, thinking about how this must all work. "If he was playing fair, the question console and the answer console will likely shut down together, and the barrier generator must be housed in one of those two consoles."

"_If _he was playing fair." Nathaniel's eyes meet hers.

She suddenly is annoyed with herself for not seeing this sooner. "There has to be a catch here, Nathaniel. From the hologram, it's clear he was betting that it would be you or me trapped here. Do you really think he'd let either of us out of here intact? I mean, clearly, he hated me. And we know he wanted nothing more than to punish you."

"So, what do we think that means?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know. Either it'll be rigged to malfunction, or maybe the last question will be so hard that he figured neither of us would be able to answer it."

He's silent at that, looking thoughtful, when Carter's voice gets their attention. "Wash, what's going on?"

They look back into the cave on the other side of the barrier, and they see Malcolm and Carter standing there. Jim and Mark are behind them with Maddy, who appears to be tearfully apologizing over and over again.

She grabs her plex and heads over to the barrier, Nathaniel right behind her. _"We're both worried that Lucas might've had something more up his sleeve."_

Malcolm and Carter exchange a glance. Carter looks back at them. "I hate to say it, but we've been thinking the same thing."

"What do you think? Do you need my help?" Malcolm looks concerned. "It's my fault we're here at all. I'm the one who found the damned signal. I should be the one stuck in there, not the two of you."

Nathaniel takes the plex from her. _"Nonsense, Malcolm. And Wash and I are the two best people to be in here, because we honestly knew him the best. Maddy was a help, though."_

He holds the plex up for Malcolm and Carter to read, and then he types something else. Alicia watches as he types, and she starts nodding immediately when she realizes what he's going to tell them. "That's what I was going to suggest too, Nathaniel."

He holds it up again. _"Time to fall back, boys. Take Reynolds, Maddy and Shannon and get down to the vehicles. Give us an hour. If we don't come out by then, _one _of you come and check on us. I mean that – one of you."_

"We're not leaving you two." Carter looks determined, his words getting Jim's attention. The three of them join Carter and Malcolm.

"Hell no, we're not leaving!" Jim looks appalled at the idea.

Nathaniel holds the plex up again. _"It's an order. Fall back now."_

Mark looks from Nathaniel to Alicia, his face looking almost like he feels sick. "Sir, Wash…"

She shakes her head firmly, mouthing two words clearly. "Fall back."

He blinks a few times, and then he swallows hard. "Yes ma'am." He takes Maddy's hand and pulls her back from the barrier.

Malcolm nods and backs away, but Jim and Carter both stay by the barrier. "Alicia." Carter's eyes are begging her to let them stay, and so are Jim's.

She takes a deep breath and holds out her hand to take the plex from Nathaniel. She types for a moment before showing it to Nathaniel. His eyes soften as he reads and he cups her face with his hand as he nods his agreement.

She turns and holds it up for Jim and Carter to read. _"Shannon, I hope more than anything that we'll be fine, but if this goes south, I need you to promise us that you and Elisabeth will take care of Gracie. She loves you two and the kids, especially Zoe, and I know you'd treat her like one of your own. And Carter, she idolizes you. We need you to promise to be there for her when Shannon and Elisabeth can't. Please, guys. Fall back now."_

The two men stand there, stunned. She feels Nathaniel step up close behind her and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her back into his chest. Carter is the first to blink. "OK, Wash, we'll fall back. But you and Taylor just need to get the hell out of there, you copy?" At her weak smile and nod, Carter takes Jim by the arm to pull him away.

He resists, first looking at Nathaniel and then at Alicia. "Carter's right. You two both need to get the hell out of there," he pauses, taking a deep breath, "But if you don't, you have my word that nothing will ever happen to Gracie. I'd die before I let anyone or anything hurt her."

Nathaniel hugs her even tighter to him, and Alicia nods, not trusting herself to do more than that. Jim nods back, and after appearing to try to say something else but being unable, he turns and leaves, Carter close on his heels.

"We should have talked about that before. Why didn't we?" His voice is soft in her ear.

"I don't think it's something we wanted to face, so we just didn't face it." Her voice is equally soft. She turns in his arms and looks up at him. "I hope you're really OK with it being Shannon and Elisabeth."

"I am. The only other choice, to me, would be Mira and Guz, and they're about to have their hands full. Carter could handle it, but I think it would be too much for Skye." He kisses her. "But Shannon and Carter are right. Let's get the hell out of here." He steps away from her to head back to the consoles.

"Nathaniel, wait." He turns back to her. "Are you OK? I know this isn't easy."

His eyes dart away from hers, and he shrugs a little. "I'm as OK as I can be when once again faced with the reality that my son hated me as much as he did. I'm honestly _not _as OK with how much he hated you, when your only sin was caring about me."

He goes quiet for a moment, and she steps up to him, putting one hand on his chest. His eyes come back to hers. "You know, every time I start to feel bad about him being gone, all I have to do is think about what he was going to do to you and Gracie. Then, I'm ashamed to admit, all I can think is that I would have killed him myself, with my bare hands if necessary, if I'd been the one there. In a way, it was lucky that Carter is the one who got there in time. At least the three quick bullets were borderline merciful."

"Oh, Nathaniel." She blinks back the tears in her eyes. "I know you're as at peace with it as you can be, but I hate this so much. I hate everything that happened, but more than anything I hate that this happened to dredge it all back up again."

He pulls her to him, hugging her close. She wraps her arms around his waist and presses her face into his neck. After a moment, he says, "I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I'm really glad you stayed."

She squeezes him tighter. "Does that mean I'm not in trouble for disobeying orders?"

He chuckles. "No, but I promise you'll enjoy your punishment."

She drops a kiss on his neck and pulls back, grinning. "Can't wait."

He reaches up and cups her face with his hands, pulling her towards him for a kiss. When he pulls back again, his face is serious. "I love you, Alicia."

She reaches up and runs her hand through his hair, coming to rest on his cheek. She brushes her thumb across his cheekbone, and he turns his face to press a kiss to the palm of her hand. "I love you too, Nathaniel. Now let's finish this so we can go home."

"Yes ma'am." He kisses her hand one more time before turning to the questions console. She steps up next to him and nods at him that she's ready. He taps the spacebar, and soon one of their concerns comes to fruition.

The hologram camera comes back on, and the image of Lucas returns. "Now I know it's you or Wash, Dad, because I can't think of anyone else ridiculously noble enough to stay behind just to try to shut this system down. So now, there are just three more questions. And it won't take long because once you activate each question, you've only got ninety seconds to answer it. I'd say good luck, but I know luck won't help. I know there's no way you're going to get all of these, but I almost wish I could be there to watch you agonize over them." The hologram laughs, something Alicia finds more than a little disturbing.

Once it's done laughing, the hologram appears to compose itself. "Just for your information, unless something goes wrong with my construction, this thing won't melt down when you don't get the answers. It'll just explode. It'll make a mess, I'm sure, but the barrier will contain that. See you on the other side, Dad."

Alicia hears Nathaniel mutter, "Well don't get all warm and fuzzy on us, son," and she can't help the snort of laughter that escapes. If nothing else, she's glad he's being sarcastic instead of gloomy about the situation.

The question blinks up. _"What did I first study in college?"_

Alicia gives Nathaniel a funny look. "That seems too easy. It was quantum physics, right?"

Nathaniel looks thoughtful for a moment, and then he snaps his fingers. "No. He started in fluid dynamics, but he didn't like the professors. Surprise, surprise, he got into a fight with a few of them, not physical – just an argument, and he left in a huff. Even at barely fifteen he had that temper." As he speaks he types in the answer.

This time, the password that pops up is "neglect." To his credit, the melodramatic words are now making Nathaniel just roll his eyes in apparent exasperation. She lifts an eyebrow at him as he goes over to the other console and types in the password, and he shakes his head. "You know, I tried to visit him at college. And he, at fourteen, is the one who demanded that I let him start. When they accepted him, I let him go, because that's what he told me he wanted. After what happened, the last thing I wanted to do was say no to him."

They both look up as one of the remaining five active consoles goes dark. He looks back at her, and she moves over to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. "I would go see him frequently, especially that first year when they technically had me on a desk but just let me do what I wanted. I lost count of how many times I tried to talk to him, to reach him. He would just shut down or tell me to leave. I admit it, I did stop trying so hard after a while, because it seemed clear that he had no interest. So now, his 'neglect' and 'betrayal' nonsense is really starting to piss me off."

He hangs his head. "And Ayani would hate that I let it come to this. She'd..."

"Hey." She reaches up with her free hand and tips his face back up with her fingertips. "She _would_ hate this. I won't argue that. But you know that she would hate the _circumstance_ and not _you_, right? You get that? Because I honestly don't think Ayani had it in her to hate anyone, least of all you. And she would be pretty annoyed with Lucas, too. Even as a child, he had his 'I'm smarter than everyone else' moments, and every time I saw one, she called him on it."

He huffs out a small laugh. "She did, didn't she?"

"You know it. You could tell that it was the only part of him that she didn't like, because it was the only part of him she seemed to work to change." She squeezes his hand again. "And she would know that you tried. You aren't a miracle worker, though, Nathaniel. Lucas was determined to blame you, to hate you. I've come to believe that it was futile to try to sway him from that, but even so, I'm glad that you did try, if for no other reason than because at least you know you did your best. And you kept trying long after most of us would have given up."

"Not true, Alicia." She looks at him, confused. "You would do the same if it was Gracie."

Alicia blinks a few times, but then she nods. "You're right. I would."

"And so would I. I'd go through it again for her if I had to. It's just what you do."

She expels a breath. "So. Next question?"

Without letting go of her hand, he turns and goes back to the console, taking her with him. With his free hand, he hits the space bar. "Shit. I have no damned idea. I was already here, and I know that means he moved. He wouldn't ask it if he thought I'd been there."

Not able to see the question where she's standing, Alicia releases his hand and steps forward, peering at the screen. _"My address in August 2142?"_

Alicia gasps. "Wait, I know this! It's where he and I fought about you, when I went to see him to tell him what had happened to you." She closes her eyes, trying to recall the exact location.

"Running out of time, Alicia." He checks his watch.

Her eyes snap open. "I've got it!" She steps up and types, _"1240 Elmwood #132, Evanston, Illinois."_

She holds her breath and stares at the screen. Nathaniel stands behind her, his hands wrapped around her upper arms. A moment later, the screen blinks and pops up the password. Nearly physical relief floods her, and she relaxes back into Nathaniel's chest. He wraps his arms around her. "Jesus, Alicia. That was over ten years ago. How did you remember that?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know. I just closed my eyes and there it was."

"Well, I've never been more grateful for your elephant's memory than I am right now." He drops a kiss on her temple. "What's the password this time?"

She leans forward. "Isolation. That seems a lot less angry. Of course, he did say it was a random generator. I'm guessing he just entered a bunch of words and it selects from them?"

"I'm not even going to try to figure it out, Alicia." He steps over to the other console and types in the password. Two of the four consoles go dark, leaving, as expected, the question and answer consoles on.

The hologram projector powers up again. Nathaniel sighs audibly when the hologram of Lucas appears again. Alicia walks over and stands next to him as the hologram speaks again. "Impressive. If you got that second one, I know it's either Wash by herself or you and Wash together. There's no way you knew that one, Dad, because it's where I lived after you got stranded here alone. And since neither of you will ever know the last answer, if you are indeed both here, enjoy your last moments together. Or, if it's just you alone, Wash, enjoy thinking of my father finding your charred, dismembered body and how that will break him. Goodbye." The hologram blinks off.

Alicia curls her hands into fists. "Man, I wish that thing had a physical manifestation, because I'd really like to deck it right now." Nathaniel raises an eyebrow and looks down at her. Her cheeks go pink, but she shrugs and says, "Really, you don't want to pop him one? Tell the truth, Nathaniel."

He crosses his arms across his chest, but his face takes on a small smirk. "Maybe a little."

"Thought so." She looks at the consoles. "Let's finish this." He goes to try to hug her, but she won't let him. "Don't you dare try to say goodbye to me. We're going to answer this last damned question, and we're getting the hell out of here, period. Understood?" She puts her hands on her hips and levels a hard look at him.

He holds his hands up. "Understood."

He motions to the console, and she steps up to it and taps the space bar. They both watch as the last question appears. _"What was the date and journal name for my first ever science publication?"_

"He had something in 2139, in one of the theoretical physics journals, didn't he?" Alicia looks up at Nathaniel, but he's frowning.

"He did, but that wasn't first. His first was before Ayani died."

She shakes her head. "The first hologram said questions about his education and about his life after Somalia." But then something occurs to her. "Maybe he meant his education in general, not just post-Somalia?"

"Has to be, because his first publication was something promoted by his physics teacher at that high school for the gifted, back when he was twelve. Ayani had it framed. It was before we went to Somalia, just before we left southeast Asia." He reaches down and starts typing, speaking as he does. "November 2136, American Journal of Physics."

He hits enter and steps back, taking Alicia's hand. The console blinks, and the word "mother" pops up. Nathaniel shakes his head. "If that was random, I'll eat my damned gun."

Alicia squeezes his hand, and then she goes and types in the last password. After hitting enter, she quickly moves back to Nathaniel's side. With no fanfare, the two consoles flicker off and, with a light flash, the barrier drops. They look at each other. He's the first to speak. "Grab your pack. We're getting the hell out of here."

She does as he said, grabs her pack and waits for him to get his. Just as they're about to move beyond the barrier, the hologram camera powers back up. Lucas appears again, his face completely calm. "There's no way you knew that, either one of you. You were off on one of your adventures, leaving us alone again. You gamed the system somehow, and I don't like cheaters."

They hear a click, and one of the consoles lights up again. Nathaniel grabs her and pushes her towards the cave entrance. "Go, Alicia!" He follows right behind her. As they get to the cave entrance at a flat out run, she hears an explosion, and they're both thrown forward. Nathaniel lands on top of her, and she feels him using his arms to cover her as a secondary explosion goes off, debris raining down around them.

When it finally stops, Alicia is trapped under Nathaniel's bulk, his heavy upper body pressing her down. "Nathaniel?" When he doesn't respond, Alicia's heart sinks. "Nathaniel!" She struggles to gently pull herself out from under him. As she does, she can hear voices approaching the cave.

They're getting closer when she realizes that she doesn't know if any radiation was released in the blast. As loud as she can, she yells, "Everyone stay back until I tell you to come in!"

A moment later, Carter calls back, "Just tell us when, Wash!"

Given that Nathaniel is clearly unconscious, she replies, "Carter, Nathaniel's injured. Get a med kit for when I let you in!"

"Will do, back in a minute." His voice comes back.

She finally gets herself free of Nathaniel's weight. Sitting up, she sees her pack nearby. She drags it to her, knocking the rocks and dust from it before digging out a flashlight. She shines it on Nathaniel, and she's relieved to see that he's clearly breathing but then winces at the bump she sees forming on the back of his head. Moving the light down his body, she sees that he has a piece of metal, probably from one of the consoles, embedded in his right shoulder, above the shoulder blade.

He moves suddenly, letting out a groan. "Nathaniel?" She gets down on her knees, but before she talks to him, she checks the radiation sensor. It hasn't changed at all, still showing safe. She twists and yells, "It's all clear. Be careful, there's a lot of debris."

She turns back to him, and he's trying to turn to his back. He gets to his left side before she can stop him. "Whoa, wait, Nathaniel." He blinks at her, looking groggy, but he stops moving. "You have a piece of metal in your shoulder, probably a piece of one of the consoles. Carter and I need to look at it before you move, OK?"

He nods, closing his eyes. She brushes her fingers through his hair, ignoring the stinging scrapes she's becoming aware of all over her arms. After a moment, he mutters, "For the record? No more trips OTG with Malcolm. Gracie will insist anyway, but I'm with her on this. The man's just trouble."

At that, after the two days she's had, she just melts down. It's not tears at first. Instead, she lets loose a small giggle and then another one, until she's laughing uncontrollably. Then, just as Carter, Shannon and Reynolds come in, Alicia's laughter turns, and her shoulders begin to heave. Nathaniel, opening his eyes again, realizes what's happening. "Come here."

She doesn't argue, she curls up in front of him and scoots close to his chest. He carefully wraps his arms around her, and he lets her let go, something he knows she very rarely does. Carter doesn't say anything, he just silently goes about looking at Nathaniel's injured shoulder. After a few minutes Alicia is just sniffling lightly, and Carter says, "Taylor, I need you to sit up."

He looks down at her, and she sheepishly nods, pulling away and helping him to sit up. As she moves behind him to help Carter, Malcolm joins them. "Are you both all right?" The man is clearly genuinely concerned.

She just nods, but Nathaniel replies, "We'll both be fine, but you might want to worry about yourself." Malcolm looks confused, and Alicia suddenly realizes where this is going, a small smile blooming on her face as she starts to stitch up Nathaniel's shoulder. He holds still for her, continuing to talk to Malcolm. "Malcolm, you get to explain to Gracie what happened here. You do know, don't you, that this is the last time you go OTG with either me or Alicia?"

The scientist sputters for a moment about how it's not his fault before dropping his shoulders in defeat. "How much ice cream do you think it'll take for me to get back on her good side?"

Alicia snorts, making him look from Nathaniel to her. "Malcolm, I'm pretty sure there isn't that much ice cream in the entire colony."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Fill for a LiveJournal Week 30 Friday one word prompt "Force" for Wash and Taylor.

And this one's wrapped up. Yes, Gracie takes Malcolm down a notch.

This is set in the context of my other stories, post-series.

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

Alicia finishes stitching up the gash in Nathaniel's shoulder. She's feeling slightly mortified about her little break down. She doesn't ever do that, and now that she did, she isn't quite sure how to act. Nathaniel, of course, can tell that she's uncomfortable. He turns slightly, and she meets his eyes. He looks concerned, but he doesn't say anything due to the fact that Carter, Shannon and Reynolds are all hovering nearby.

She just nods slightly to let him know she's OK, or at least that she's OK enough. He nods back and turns away again, letting her bandage the stitched up area. "How many?" His voice is gruff when he speaks, but she can hear a teasing note to it.

She snorts. "Only fifteen. Just a scratch." She pauses, getting serious. "We'll need to let Elisabeth check it when we get home. We cleaned it as best we could, but I want to be sure it doesn't get infected. How's your head?"

With his left hand, he reaches back and gingerly rubs at the bump on the back of his head. "Pounding a little, but it's OK."

She hums in disapproval at that. "Carter, do we have any pain meds?"

He comes over, rummaging through the kit. "Basic analgesics, codeine or morphine?"

Nathaniel speaks before she can reply. "The analgesics."

"Nathaniel…"

"Alicia, I'm OK. The analgesics will take the edge off. That's all I need." His tone makes it clear that he will brook no arguments on this.

She holds up her hands in defeat, and his eyes narrow slightly. As Carter hands him the pills, Nathaniel says, "Carter, now that I'm seen to, take a look at her hands and arms, please."

Alicia furrows her brow. "I'm fine."

Carter gets to her and looks at her arms. "Sit, Wash. You're not fine. These scrapes need to be cleaned, and there's a gash on your left hand that may need a stitch or two."

"Carter, I don't need stitches." She suddenly feels a flash of anxiety at the thought of staying in the cave for even another few minutes.

"I'll be the judge of that. Sit." Carter gives her a hard look, and she just expels a breath and sits down next to Nathaniel, knowing Carter's right. She actually thinks the gash in her hand will require at least three stitches to close.

He works silently for a moment, and then he quietly asks, "You had to know this needed to be stitched. Why fight me?"

She looks away. "I just really don't want to be here anymore."

Her voice is shakier than usual, and Carter sounds chagrined when he replies, "Damn, I'm sorry Wash, we could've done this in the rhino."

She shakes her head as she feels Nathaniel's left hand find her right, squeezing it tight. The small, comforting action ratchets her sudden anxiety down a few notches, and she squeezes back in gratitude. "It's OK. Just finish it up so we can get the hell out of this place."

"What happened?" Alicia and Nathaniel both look up to see Jim standing there, a questioning look on his face.

Nathaniel offers, "We got all the questions right."

That makes Jim and Carter look up with near-comical looks of surprise, somehow breaking through the last remnants of Alicia's uneasiness. She shakes her head. "And it turns out, we were right. Lucas didn't play fair. The barrier did shut down, but then the system blew up anyway. Per the hologram, there's no way we could have gotten them all, and so we must have gamed the system. Apparently, he tries to blow up cheaters."

Nathaniel is silent, but he keeps the pressure on her hand. She looks pensive for a moment. "What I don't get is why the barrier dropped. Why not just blow up the system with it still up? It certainly gave us time to get clear of the blast. If we'd been trapped in there, even if we'd gotten all the way to the barrier, the debris and shrapnel would likely have ripped us both to shreds."

Malcolm speaks up. "It may be as simple as he didn't know how. If he designed it one way and then decided to not let it really let you go, a secondary system might've been easier to set up than a redesign of the original system."

"At this point, I don't care." She looks at Malcolm. "Is it one hundred percent dead?"

"I believe so." Malcolm nods.

She turns to Nathaniel, who appears to be lost in thought. She quashes any concerns that gives her for now, turning back to Malcolm. "Not good enough. I want you to get a containment team back here within a few days. We're serious that Nathaniel and I aren't coming with you, believe it or not. Reilly or Reynolds will head up your escort team."

"I can do it, ma'am." Reilly joins them. "I'm sorry to intrude, but if we want to get back to the outpost by dark, we need to go."

Alicia nods. "Thanks, Laura." She stands, still holding Nathaniel's hand, prompting him to stand with her. She sees him wince a little when his right arm moves, so she looks back at Reilly. "Can you dig up something for me to use to immobilize the commander's arm? We'll be right behind you."

"Yes, ma'am!" The young woman, followed closely by Malcolm, heads out, and Jim and Carter grab Alicia and Nathaniel's packs. The others go as well, leaving Alicia and Nathaniel alone.

She looks up at him. "Are you OK?" He lifts an eyebrow at her. "Yes, I did lose it, and yes, I then freaked out a little just now, but you're quiet and you're rarely quiet. I got all my melting down out of the way, but I know you probably just have to process a little before _your _melt down." He actually snorts at that, but he doesn't argue.

He lifts their joined hands and drops a soft kiss on the back of hers. When he speaks, he sounds more tired than he has in a long time. "Let's get out of here, Alicia."

She knows that's his way of telling her that she's right but he isn't ready to talk about it. She just heads out, still holding his hand, him following close behind her. They make their way out and down the rocky hillside to the waiting rovers and rhino. Everyone is looking at them expectantly, clearly waiting for direction.

As much as she wants to be alone with Nathaniel, she doesn't think it's a good idea for her to drive them anywhere, as she's almost as physically and emotionally tired as he is. She makes the call for both of them. "Carter, Shannon," she looks at them, "Nathaniel and I will ride with you two in one of the rovers. Reilly, you can take Dunham and one of the privates in the other, and Mark, you take Maddy, Malcolm and the others in the rhino."

She doesn't wait for the others to agree, just heads to the rover she drove here yesterday. That gives her a moment's pause. She can't believe that she's only been here a little over twenty-four hours. Shaking her head, she keeps walking. Reilly meets them at their rover. She has a long piece of fabric in her hand.

Alicia smiles weakly at the young woman when she hands the fabric over. "Thanks, Laura." Reilly nods and heads to the other rover. Alicia drops Nathaniel's hand as Carter approaches. She calls, "Carter, come help me sling his right arm."

As Carter comes over, Nathaniel shoots her an irritated look. "It's fine. I don't need…"

She meets his irritation with tired exasperation. Before Carter gets to them, she says quietly, "Nathaniel, it's a bumpy ride, and we need to try to keep your arm still so the stitches in your shoulder don't pull. Please just let us do this with minimal fuss."

There must be something in her eyes that tells him that she's not up for their usual push-and-pull over injuries, because he nods, an apologetic look in his eyes. Her face softens, and she shoots him a grateful look as Carter gets to them. She doesn't say anything further, as she doesn't really want to say anything in front of Carter.

They help him get his arm immobilized while Jim loads their packs in the back of the rover. Once they have Nathaniel's arm set, Carter looks at Jim and then back at the two of them. "Wash, who do you want behind the wheel?"

She knows he's asking her if she wants to drive. Normally, she'd take control, but today, she doesn't want it. "You or Shannon. Fight it out between you. Nathaniel and I will take the back."

Nathaniel looks a little surprised, and so do Carter and Jim. Nathaniel rallies first. "You heard the lady, boys. Figure it out yourselves."

She smiles a little and climbs into the back seat of the rover, in the seat behind the driver. He climbs in the other side, sliding close to the middle. As soon as he settles, she scoots up next to him. He clearly anticipated her move, as he automatically raises his left arm, letting her curl into his side. He wraps his arm around her, and she drops her head to his good shoulder.

A moment later, Carter climbs in behind the wheel, and a disgruntled looking Jim takes the passenger side. Jim turns around to look at them, and taking in their positions, he smirks. "No making out back there, kids, and keep your hands where I can see them."

Carter's chuckle at that turns into an outright guffaw when Alicia and Nathaniel reply in unison, "Shut up, Shannon."

**WT**WT**WT**

Just as darkness is falling, they pull into the outpost. They all get out as the other rover and the rhino follow them into the gated area, and Carter and Jim close the gate behind the third vehicle. Alicia goes to the back and pulls out her pack and Nathaniel's. She puts hers over her shoulder and carries his with her uninjured hand. When he tries to take it from him, she shoots him an incredulous look. He looks annoyed, but he holds his free hand up in defeat.

As they enter the outpost, she remembers that the room she used last time has full size twin beds in it. The others have military style cots. She fully intends to take her usual space. She looks back at Jim and Carter. "Boys, hope you can find beds in the regular barrack space. You're evicted from my room."

While they sputter in protest, Alicia leads Nathaniel towards their room. He's laughing as they walk. "We both need a shower."

"Yes, we do. A shower and food. But I wanted Shannon and Carter to know that the 'no vacancy' sign is lit."

They get to the room, and he grins at her as she dumps their packs on one of the beds. "So, should I be concerned about the fact that my beautiful, young wife is bunking with two married men when OTG?"

She snorts. "You have a young wife? Where the hell is she? I'm really not in the mood for competition."

He laughs, catching her around the waist and hugging her to him with his good arm. He drops a kiss on her neck. "Everything's relative, Alicia, and keeping you classified as young in my mind makes me feel at least slightly less damned old. But really, shacking up with Carter and Shannon?"

She pulls away from him, making a face. "Eew, Nathaniel. Don't say it like that, even as a joke. They're really like my brothers, so that's just gross." He laughs again, and she has to smile at him. "Come on, Old Man. Showers."

"Can we share?" He gives her a leer.

"If you promise to behave, yes." She pulls clean clothes out of both of their packs, slipping them and their bags of toiletries into a small bag she keeps in her pack. She then turns and heads for the showers, and he follows close behind her.

An hour later, they wander into the kitchen area, both of them feeling a little better after their very innocent shared shower – or at least innocent by their standards. The most either of them was up for was some relatively serious making out. She's happy to see that Reilly and Dunham commandeered the kitchen and have made dinner for everyone from the supplies kept here at the outpost. It's a simple stew, but it's perfect in part because she didn't have to make it.

Reilly sees them enter. "Lieutenant, Commander, can we make you a plate?"

Alicia nods, walking over to get them both a glass of water while Nathaniel grabs two empty chairs at the table. "Thanks, Reilly."

"No problem ma'am. I'll bring your plates over, and there's bread on the table."

Alicia takes their water and gives Reilly a grateful nod. She puts the glasses down on the table and drops into the chair next to Nathaniel. Carter and Jim are already there, eating their dinners. Carter gives her a leer. "So, taking community showers to a new level?"

Alicia kicks him hard under the table. "Shut up, Carter."

"Ow, Wash! That actually hurt."

"Good." She flops back in her chair, arms crossed. She stops short of sticking her tongue out at him, but she knows her expression conveys that emotion.

"Behave, children." Jim is grinning at them, and so is Nathaniel.

They fall silent, but eventually, Jim says, "So you two are really going to refuse to go OTG with Malcolm from now on? You're never going to go with him again?"

Alicia and Nathaniel exchange a glance. He sighs. "Never is probably too strong, Shannon, but honestly, Gracie got really upset before Alicia left, and now my first stop when we get home has to be the infirmary. Until she's old enough to parse that it's not Malcolm's fault, it's not worth how much it upsets her. Reilly is more than capable of looking after a science team, even one led by Malcolm."

Alicia nods. "And we'll be sure to make it clear to Malcolm that anything regarding safety or security will be the military team leader's call, and when in a grey area, it's also the military lead's call."

Carter looks relieved at that. "That's what I was worried about. I remember how he was on the mountain trip."

Nathaniel gives her a funny look. "I told you he got a little pushy, Nathaniel."

"A little pushy?" Jim pulls a face.

"Let it go, Shannon. Who won?" She gives Jim a near-threatening look as Reilly puts plates in front of them. "Thanks, Laura."

"You're welcome, ma'am, sir. Can I get you anything else?" She smiles at them.

Alicia shakes her head. "Have you eaten?" She can tell by the look on her face that the answer is no. "You and Dunham have dinner and stop waiting on the rest of us. We're good. And we can clean up."

"Ma'am, you don't have to do that!"

Nathaniel gently interrupts. "That's an order, Corporal. Dinner and then out. You cooked. We can clean."

"Yes sir." She gives them a small smile and heads back over to Dunham.

Alicia is about to dig into her food when Nathaniel says, "Now just how pushy did our esteemed Dr. Wallace get, Lieutenant?"

She rolls her eyes and groans, ready to kill Jim. On balance, though, she reflects that it's nice. At least everything feels pretty normal.

It's late when they return to their room after finishing the dishes, and he's a little put out with her. When she closes the door behind them, he growls, "You really should have told me about what Malcolm said to you."

She glares at him. He's been petulant and grouchy since Carter and Jim explained how Malcolm had questioned her and been openly rude and derisive of her. "To what end, Nathaniel? What Carter and Shannon don't know in detail is that Malcolm came to me the next morning and apologized. He truly felt bad for being an ass. The conflict was done. And I don't need you to protect me from the likes of Malcolm."

"I'm tired of people disrespecting you!" He's actually turning a little red, and she just doesn't understand it.

"Nathaniel, what are you talking about?" She's honestly confused. "Who else has disrespected me?"

"Lucas!" He's pacing now, and she realizes that this is _his _melt down. She just goes quiet and lets him vent. "I've spent years alternating between sadness, disappointment and self-loathing when it comes to him, but outside of the night that I expelled him, this is the first time I've ever felt pure rage with him. Even when I watched him shoot you during the Phoenix Group occupation – even then, it was the self-loathing, rage at myself for leaving you, for putting you in that position."

"But today, today I almost wish he wasn't dead just so I could kick his ass. I loved him, you know that, but today I realized just how twisted he really was, and how self-centered. I'm starting to believe that he hated me, or at least resented me, long before Somalia. That he was angry about everything. My job, my being gone, even our, mine and Ayani's, our friendship with you. It was like he hated anything that took focus off of him." He stops and runs his free hand through his hair. "How did I not see that, Alicia? How did I not know?"

He sits down hard on the edge of the bed. "You were right, Alicia. It was a prolonged exercise in futility, and this is the third time that exercise in futility almost cost you your life."

"No."

"What?" He looks up, confused.

"I said no, Nathaniel. Lucas almost cost me my life three times. Lucas. Not you, and not your attempts to reconcile with him. Those attempts, they were like wallpaper to Lucas. Blips on the radar. He decided a long time ago that he was going to hate you and, by extension, anyone loyal to you." She kneels in front of him taking his hand with hers. "You could not have prevented this. Period. You can't control everything and fix everything."

"But Alicia…"

"No, Nathaniel, no arguments. You have two choices. You can mourn the loss of a brilliant child or you can sit around hating yourself for every mistake you think you ever made with him. It seems to me that the former is the better plan in the long run."

He goes silent, holding her hand in a near death grip. After a few moments, he breathes out, "I'm tired, Alicia."

"I know." She stands up and pulls her hand free.

She turns on a light next to the bed, and she walks over to the door and extinguishes the overhead light. Getting back to the bed, she takes his hand again and pulls him up, and she pulls back the sheets and blanket. She motions to the bed, and he climbs in. He rolls to his left side, and she gets into the small bed alongside him. She reaches back and turns off the light, and she curls into him, gently wrapping her arms around his waist. "Sleep, Nathaniel."

They sleep for a solid twelve hours. Alicia wakes up the next morning to find Nathaniel rolled to his back and herself draped across him. In this position, the two of them barely fit in the small bed. She opens her eyes and looks up at him, only to find him watching her, a soft, affectionate look on his face.

She gives him a slightly bleary smile. "Hi."

He grins. "Hi."

She blinks a few times. "What time is it?"

"It's after nine. We should probably get up."

"After nine?" She sits up slightly.

He nods. "Yes. Reilly poked her head in a few minutes ago. Everyone is packed up, but they knew we were both tired, and they let us sleep."

She stands up and arches her back in a stretch. "I appreciate it, but I am ready to go home." He follows her, standing himself, gingerly rolling his injured shoulder. "Is it OK?"

"Think so. May want to check the stitches, though." He sits and lets her remove his sling and look under the bandage. As she looks, he stretches his arm out. "So, are we going to relegate Carter and Shannon to the back seat going home?"

She grins and recovers his miraculously still intact stitches. "Of course. It'll be fun to listen to them bicker all the way back to the colony."

He chuckles as she puts his sling back in place. "You have to let me tell them. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces."

"Have at it." She smiles. "You're good to go."

He stands again, turning serious for a moment. "I'm sorry for the little drama last night."

She shakes her head. "You don't owe me an apology, Nathaniel. It was a long day that dragged a lot of crap back to the surface. And it's not like I didn't have my own little drama."

He steps forward and wraps her up in a hug with his good arm. "I admit that your minor anxiety attack worried me more than the crying. I don't think I've ever seen you like that before."

She winds her arms around his waist, pressing herself close to him. "I don't know if I've ever really _been _like that before. I didn't like it – I don't like feeling so ruled by emotion, particularly not when that emotion is fear, and pretty irrational fear at that."

"I know." He squeezes her a little tighter and turns his head to kiss her temple. "Enough of that for now. Get ready, and we'll go." He releases her and leans down to pull his boots on, only to realize that tying them with one hand is hard to do. He gives her a funny look, and she snorts, crouching down to tie his boots for him.

When she's done, she straightens up and kisses his cheek before using her fingers to tidy his hair. "There you go, sweetie. Now go play with your friends."

He rolls his eyes. "Have I ever mentioned that you're a smart ass?"

She smirks and turns to change into her cargoes and a clean t-shirt. In her most innocent voice, she replies, "No, I don't think you ever have."

He chuckles. "I'll see you later, Lieutenant." Before he leaves, he pops her sharply on the rear, making her squeak in surprise and turn to glare at him. "Smart ass. And that was for not leaving the cave when I told you to." He turns and leaves before she can reply. She can help grinning at his retreating back, as she imagines some creative ways to get him back for that one.

**WT**WT**WT**

Hours later, the colony gates come into view. "Thank God," she mutters under her breath. Jim and Carter were slightly entertaining at first, but after about two hours, Alicia was ready to kill them. They really did bicker and fight like little kids all the way back. Even Nathaniel, who is generally slightly more patient than she is, looks ready to rip their heads off.

Nathaniel reaches for the radio and calls ahead to have them open the gates in two minutes. They pull through the gates not long after they went up, and Alicia grins at the sight before her. Along with several others, Elisabeth, Zoe and Josh Shannon are waiting for them, and Gracie is planted on Josh's hip.

After killing the engine, Alicia hops out of the rover. She hears Gracie say, "Down please, Unca Josh!" And moment later, a small, black haired blur is barreling towards Alicia. She meets her halfway, scooping her up. Gracie attaches onto her, legs wrapping around her waist and arms around her neck, where she buries her face. "Mama."

Alicia wraps her arms tight around Gracie's little body. "Hi, my Baby Bug. I missed you."

"Missed Mama. No more go with Unca Mowcome."

Alicia leans back, and Gracie looks up at her. She presses her forehead to Gracie's. "Agreed, Bug. No more trips with Malcolm."

"None for me, either." Nathaniel's voice makes them both turn.

Gracie's eyes widen at the sight of the sling on Nathaniel's right arm. Then, almost comically, they narrow again as she starts looking around. "Bug?" Nathaniel looks first at her and then at Alicia, who has an idea as to who Gracie is trying to find.

Suddenly, she points. Alicia and Nathaniel both follow her outstretched hand, and their eyes land on Malcolm, who is directing the unloading of the rhino. "Down, please, Mama."

"Gracie…"

"Mama, down!"

Realizing that this is probably unavoidable, Alicia lowers Gracie to the ground. Before she can turn and head for Malcolm, Alicia says, "Bug." Gracie's eyes swing back to her. "We do not hit. Or kick. Or bite. Do you hear me?" Nathaniel snorts, but Gracie looks stubborn. "Bug, do you hear me?"

She lets out a little frustrated huff but nods. "'K, Mama. Do we yell?"

Alicia swallows a grin. "Yes. We yell."

"'K." She turns on her heel and heads straight for Malcolm, the ribbons on her pigtails streaming behind her and her little dress flouncing as she walks.

Alicia and Nathaniel follow close behind her. "Really, Alicia? We do not hit, kick or bite? You thought that was necessary?"

She gives him an incredulous look. "She's our child, Nathaniel, and the fruit rarely falls far from the tree."

He seems to ponder that, and then he winces a little. "Touché."

"Unca Mowcome!" The scientist turns, clearly surprised, and Reilly and Dunham, who were helping unload, both grin. At the sight of a scowling, glaring three year old, hands on her hips and clearly very angry, Malcolm actually shrinks back.

Alicia murmurs, "Chicken," prompting Nathaniel to poke her side with his free hand.

"Gracie, it wasn't my fault!" He holds his hands up placatingly.

"Was it your twip?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Your twip, your fault. You bwoke my daddy! And you bwoke Mama before! You no go wif dem anymore! You gwounded, Unca Mowcome!" Gracie stomps her foot and shakes her finger at him.

"Gracie, I didn't break them. They both had accidents. It just happened to be when they were out with me." Alicia has to work hard not to laugh as Malcolm actually attempts to reason with a pissed off toddler.

She marches up even closer to him, crossing her arms across her chest and getting so close that she has to tilt her head back to look at him, or, more specifically, to glare at him. "They went wif you. They were there to pwotect _you_. They came back and needed to see Auntie Wisabeth. We _only_ see Auntie Wisabeth when we _bwoken_!"

Alicia cocks her head, curious to see how Malcolm will try to dispute that rather decent logic. Next to her, she hears Nathaniel doing everything he can to stifle his laughter. She bumps him with her hip. "Behave!" He nods and coughs a little in response.

"Gracie, I promise I didn't break either one of them." Malcolm is now almost pleading with her. Alicia can't help but be somewhat entertained by how important it appears to be to Malcolm to have Gracie like him.

She's clearly unimpressed, though. She turns and marches over to Nathaniel, looking up at him. He leans down and scoops her up with his good arm, settling her on his left hip. "Daddy, you need go see Auntie Wisabeth?"

After shooting an apologetic look at Malcolm, Nathaniel says, "Yes, Bug, we just need to let her make sure I'm OK."

Gracie looks at Malcolm, leveling a hard look at him. Again, Alicia has to swallow a grin. It's like looking in a mirror, expression and all. Gracie is basically her with blue eyes. "See, Unca Mowcome? _Bwoken_."

Malcolm appears to be about to rebut her again, but Alicia catches his eye, giving him a look that basically says, "Stop trying. You cannot win."

Malcolm's shoulders drop in defeat. "I'm sorry, Bug. I didn't mean to break your Mama and Daddy."

She gives him a quick nod. "Just don't wet it happen again, Unca Mowcome."

"Yes ma'am." He brightens. "Can I buy you some ice cream later to make up for it?"

Gracie looks thoughtful for a moment. "'K." He looks briefly relieved, but Gracie continues, "But it's gonna take a wot of ice cweam, Unca Mowcome."

At that, the assembled listeners clearly lose control and most laugh out loud. Gracie ignores them, staring at Malcolm.

"Understood, Miss Gracie."

Led by Elisabeth, they turn to head towards the infirmary. Before they get too far, Gracie, still perched on Nathaniel's hip, looks back at Malcolm over Nathaniel's shoulder. "Unca Mowcome?" The scientist looks up again. "I wike chocolate candies too."

Alicia and Nathaniel both laugh, and Alicia takes Gracie from Nathaniel, able to see in his face that his shoulder is bothering him. He steps closer to her as they walk towards the infirmary, his left hand dropping to her lower back. Gracie sighs happily, resting her head on Alicia's shoulder.

As she walks, Alicia can't help feeling grateful that this particular trip is done and they're both mostly in one piece, a small favor but one she'll take. His voice breaks into her reverie. "Penny for your thoughts."

"I'm just really happy to be home," she pauses and smiles up at him, "And I hope Malcolm brings enough ice cream for all of us."

He laughs, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I just hope he can find some butter pecan."

"No! Chocolate chip mint!" She corrects him.

"Wocky woad." Gracie mumbles, almost asleep in Alicia's arms.

Nathaniel grins. "The lady speaks." He nods. "I can live with rocky road."

"Sounds good to me. Call Malcolm. Place our order." She smiles again.

"Yes, ma'am."

Nathaniel actually radios Malcolm, who sputters loudly through the comm. As they walk along, Nathaniel laughing, Malcolm complaining and Gracie asleep on her shoulder, she can't help but think that all's right with the world, at least for today.


End file.
